


The Night That Changed It All

by jgjbanker



Category: Chicago Fire
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:11:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 92
Words: 142,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26480155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jgjbanker/pseuds/jgjbanker
Summary: Sylvie Brett and Matt Casey have been dancing around their feelings for each other.  Can one event send them on a collision course towards happiness?Written for BFFP:September prompt
Relationships: Sylvie Brett/Matthew Casey
Comments: 1411
Kudos: 431





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Appreciate your support of "Just Take This Heart". I am back with what will, HOPEFULLY, be a much shorter story about our favorite couple.

The Night That Changed It All

Casey sat in the booth at Molly’s, wondering why he was even there. If he was being honest with himself, the reason sat across the wooden table top from him. Sylvie Brett. Sure, he could say he was here getting a drink with Severide, who was currently sitting beside him, or Kidd who sat beside Brett, but he would be lying to himself. 

He quickly glanced up to steal a glimpse of Sylvie. _God she is beautiful_ , he thought to himself. He wasn’t sure why, but he swore every time he had a chance to see her, to really look at her, she got more beautiful. He had never known anyone in his entire life who had the same affect on him. Hallie hadn’t, and Gabby certainly hadn’t. Of course, both of them were beautiful in their own way, but they never kept getting MORE beautiful like Brett did.

Matt found his attention drawn from her to a group of college students standing at the bar. He really did hate coming to Molly’s on Thursday nights, when there seemed to be more local college students here than firefighters or police officers. He played with the label on his beer bottle, wondering if he should chance one more look at Brett before he left. _Better not_ , he thought to himself. Lately, it had been getting harder and harder for him to hide his true feelings from the amazing paramedic he worked with every third day.

Brett glanced over at Casey, witnessing his hands pulling the label away from his beer bottle. Something had been bothering him lately. She couldn’t put her finger on exactly what it was, but there was something there. He was starting to become more withdrawn lately. He seemed to be spending more time than usual in his quarters when they were at work. He was still the same Casey when she talked to him, but he didn’t seek her out as much anymore.

Racking her brain, she tried to think of anything that had happened recently that would have caused this change. 51 had been good, by all accounts, with no major losses or injuries. Severide had said his construction business was going well too, so she didn’t think it was that. She worried if she had done something to him? In the pit of her stomach, she worried if maybe he had figured out how much she really liked him. If he didn’t feel the same way, maybe that was why he was pulling away from her? That might explain why he was himself when she sought him out, but he didn’t seek her out as much as he had done in the past.

All of the sudden, Casey was jolted out of his thoughts. “I’m sorry. What?”, he asked.

Severide looked at Casey, the concern on his face evident. “I asked if you had heard anything about a permanent replacement for 61?”.

Blushing, Matt replied, “Not yet. I heard that Bodden talked to a few candidates for the position, but he hasn’t found the right one yet.” _Yeah, right one,_ Matt thought. _She is sitting across the table from me and I can’t even find the courage to ask her out._

Brett glanced at Severide before turning back to Casey. “Well, all I know is that I will be ready for a permanent partner. I am tired of having a different partner almost every shift.”

Putting her hand on Brett’s shoulder, Kidd added, “It will be fine Brett. What awesome paramedic wouldn’t want to work with my girl?”

Sylvie smiled before glancing back at Casey. She needed to find out what was wrong with him, but she couldn’t do it here. He would be more apt to tell her if something was wrong if it was just the two of them, as opposed to being here with Kidd and Severide. _Maybe I can go to the bathroom and text Kidd to take Severide home,_ she wondered _?_

Getting out of the booth, Brett started to make her way to the bathroom. She smiled and gave a quick wave to Cruz and Capp who were sitting at another table together. The entire time she was in the bathroom, all she could think about is Casey. He had been a wonderful friend to her over the last year. Better than any person deserved to have. He had quickly become the first person she looked to if she needed help, was worried, or was just down on life. Of course, she still had Kidd. Even Foster was still just a phone call away. But there was something about Matt that was different. He never tried to fix her problems. He would just listen, ask her the questions that inevitably got her to come to her own conclusions, and sometimes would just hug her.

Those hugs were what she was missed the most. There was just something about how he hugged her. It was like he wanted to hold onto her until every storm she was facing passed. At the same time, though, she got the feeling that every time he had hugged her when she was upset, he would have willingly switched places with her if he could. She had never known anybody like that, with the exception of maybe her parents.

_Maybe I will just try to go see him tomorrow when we are off? ,_ she thought to herself.

As she came out of the bathroom, she noticed 4 or 5 frat brothers at the end of the bar. They had obviously had a VERY good time tonight, as she could here them laughing loudly as she approached.

“Excuse me” Sylvie said sweetly, trying to make her way past them to get back to her booth.

One of the young men turned to face Brett. “Of course, pretty lady? Why don’t you let me buy you a drink?”

Brett shook her head slowly. Why did some guys always try to hit on ANY woman that was near them? She would never understand why some men felt the need to try to sleep with any and every girl they could. _I know Matt wouldn’t do anything like that,_ she thought.

“No thank you. I am just going to go back and sit with my friends.”

Casey eyes had never left Brett when she walked to the bathroom, this fact oblivious to Kidd and Severide. Now, he was closely watching her as some asshole was obviously trying to hit on her. Matt took a deep breath. He knew Brett could take care of herself, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to back her up if he needed to.

“I thiiiink” the frat boy slurred. “That you should tell me your name hot stuff.”

Brett could feel her anger start to build.

“No, I don’t think I will” she replied sternly. 

Without warning, the guy who was talking to her, clearly being egged on by his friends, got closer to her. 

“That’s okay.” He said. “I don’t need to know your name to sleep with you.” With that his hand reached down and grabbed Sylvie’s ass.

Casey was up and across the room so fast, Severide hadn’t even seen him get up. Pushing through the other four fraternity brothers, Matt quickly closed the gap to Sylvie.

“I think you need to back off right now” Casey said sternly, his hand clinched into a fist by his side. He reached out with the other hand, “Brett, come with me.”

Brett reached for Casey’s hand, relief washing over her that he was there to help her. The frat boy had other ideas though, using his arm to push down Brett’s arm, keeping her from reaching Casey’s hand.

“Listen here mister, if this bitch…” he said.

That was all Casey could stand. His hands were on younger man in a flash, pushing him against the wall, lifting the kid off the ground.

“Brett GO!”

Brett wasn’t sure she had ever seen Casey so upset. He had a glint in his eye that was pure anger. Like he was going to break this stupid kid in half. She started to reach for Matt’s arm when she heard a noise.

“CASEY!” Severide yelled, trying to make his way over. “WATCH OUT!”

Unbeknownst to Casey, one of the drunk fraternity brothers behind him had picked up a stool. Rearing back, the young man swung the stool with all his might, hitting Matt squarely on the back of his shoulders and neck. Casey crumbled to the ground like dead weight.

After that, all hell broke loose. Brett flung herself on top of Casey to protect him. Severide clocked the guy who had hit Casey with the stool, quickly followed by Capp and Cruz who were grabbing two others. Kidd ran and jumped in front of Brett and Casey, protecting them from any further punishment. Hermann, with his trusty baseball bat, were over the bar in a flash. The members of 51 and 3 worked together to get the drunken frat boys out of the bar as quickly as possible. 

“Casey, Casey, can you hear me?” Brett yelled. No response. It had all happened so quickly, she wasn’t even sure where Casey had been hit. She put her hand on the back of Matt’s head, trying to turn him around so she could look at his face. She felt something warm and wet on her hands. Pulling them back to look, she slowly took in the sight of the crimson blood there.

“Kidd. Call 911. NOW!”


	2. The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When your thoughts are all you have, it is easy to get lost in them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the feedback to chapter 1! I don't have a plan on where this one is going like I did in my other story, but am willing to let the story come out over time. 
> 
> I am trying to keep my chapters shorter than Just Take This Heart. Feel free to comment which way you prefer.

Brett looked down at Casey, laying on the ground, unconscious. She was trying her best to stabilize his neck, not knowing exactly what the extent of his injuries were. 

Having finished the 911 call, Kidd bent down to help Brett in whatever capacity she needed.

“Is he okay?” Kidd asked.

“I honestly don’t know” Brett replied, her worry deepening the lines on her face. “He’s got a pulse, but he was knocked out cold.” She blew out a frustrated sigh. “I wish I had my paramedic bag with me.”

Stella could see how worried her friend was. Just then, Kelly and the rest of 51 came running back over to where Casey was laying.

Severide looked down, his concern now overriding his anger. “How is he?” he asked Brett.

Shaking her head, Brett looked up at him. Casey had to be okay. He just did. He fought fires for a living and survived enough crazy stunts doing that, he was definitely not going to be seriously hurt in a bar fight. Over her especially.

“You remember” Kelly said grimacing, using his arm to wipe the perspiration from his forehead. “Casey had that head injury a few years back.”

Sylvie could feel her heart sink. She had completely forgotten about that. The need to get Casey to the hospital was even greater now. He could have any number of injuries due to the blow to his head. _None of which are good_ , she thought to herself. 

They could hear the sirens on the ambulance getting closer. Kelly and Hermann were trying to get everyone out of the bar who wasn’t a member of 51. They wanted to make it as easy as possible for the paramedics to get in and out of Molly’s. Casey needed all the help he could get, and they were going to do their all to make it happen.

The doors to Molly’s opened and two paramedics from 14 came running in, pushing a gurney with a backboard on it. Sam Peterson, the PIC of 14, was surprised to see Brett and some of 51 here.

“What do you have Brett?” Peterson asked, getting on his knees.

“Matt Casey, 39. Hit on the back of the head and shoulders with a chair.” Brett took a deep breath before her heart could let her get out the last part. “History of head injuries.”

The PIC looked at Brett. The look on her face showed the gamut of emotions she was feeling. Unfortunately, none of them were good.

“Rodriguez” Peterson yelled, “Get the c-collar and backboard and help me get him turned over.”

Sylvie’s hands had not left Casey’s head the entire time. She wasn’t sure she could let go. In her heart, she knew she couldn’t lose Matt. She cared about him too much. Even though they had never talked about it, she had plans for her future and she had hoped Matt would be there, with her, in all of them.

Gently touching her hand, Rodriguez calmly spoke. “Brett, I got it. You need to let me take over.”

Turning to the other paramedic, the tears in Brett’s eyes slowly ran down her face. She gave a quick nod, letting the other member of 14 take her place. She slowly stood up, saying any and ever prayer she could think of. _He has to be okay,_ she thought, _I haven’t even had a chance to tell him how crazy I am about him._

As soon as Sylvie stood up, Kidd pulled her friend into her arms. “He’s going to be okay Brett.”, she said, hugging her friend with all of her strength. 

Brett hugged her back, letting her tears fall on her friend’s shoulder. Just then a realization hit her. 

_I really want to be hugging Matt now._

15 had Matt stabilized and in their ambulance in less than 10 minutes. They knew, as well as their friends at 51, that the place Casey needed to be was Chicago Med.

Brett went with Severide and Kidd in his car, while Capp and Cruz helped Hermann get Molly’s locked up before they would head to Med too.

Driving as fast, but as safely as he could, Kelly handed his phone to Stella. 

“Stella” Severide said, glancing quickly at his girlfriend. “Text Chief and let him know what has happened.”

Kidd was strolling through Kelly’s contacts on his phone, when she heard him speak. 

“Brett, Casey is going to be okay. I just know it.” Kelly said, trying to convince himself as much as the woman sitting in his backseat. He could see in his rear view mirror Brett nod in agreement, as she wrapped her arms around herself.

_____________________________

The one thing that all firefighters can agree on is that they hate going to the hospital. As Brett, Kidd, and Kelly sat in the waiting room, they all looked anywhere but at each other. They were all people of action. It didn’t matter if it was a paramedic, a firefighter, or a Squad team member, they were used to being proactive. They ran TOWARDS danger. None of them could ever get used to the fact that in a hospital waiting room, they were all helpless. They were having to rely on other people to help Casey. There was not one thing any of them could do right now to help him, as much as they all wanted to.

They would never admit it, but right now Casey needed other people more than them.

15 minutes later, they heard the sound of Wallace Bodden enter the room. Severide stood up and walked over to his Chief, filling him in on what had happened. Kidd put her arm around Brett’s shoulder, as her friend had not looked up since they sat down. 

“Be strong. Casey is a fighter” Kidd encouraged. She pondered asking the question in her mind, but decided now would be as good a time as any. “What happened back there Brett?”

Brett looked up at her friend through her tears. She could feel her anger grow at those assholes who had gotten them into this situation. “This jerk started hitting on me at the bar.”

The surprise was evident on Kidd’s face. “Casey went after someone for hitting on you?” That didn’t sound like Kelly’s best friend. Yes, anyone could see Casey was crazy about Brett. But, she had known Casey for a couple of years now, and while she had seen him mad before, she couldn’t fathom him getting that mad over someone hitting on Brett. Especially not as mad as he was at Molly's tonight.

Brett took a breath, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. “No Kidd. One of them stopped me from getting back to the booth. He was hitting on me and I kept saying no.” Sylvie took a breath before continuing. “Then he put his hand on my butt, and that’s when Casey came over. When he called me a bitch is when Casey put him up into the wall.”

Brett blushed at her own words. She was worried about Casey, of course, but a part of her was in awe of the man Matt was. She had seen him watching the whole interaction, but he only came over when it escalated. That he would be there for her then, the way he had been there for her the entire last year, made part of her heart swell with pride. She didn’t know what she did to deserve a man like Matt Casey in her corner, but she promised herself that she would let him know how thankful she was for it. 

_Now,_ she prayed, _he just needs to be okay so I can actually tell him._


	3. Results and Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the hospital, a group of 51 wait to get news on Casey. Can Brett deal with the fear of the unknown?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the comments and kudos! I appreciate your support of this story. I have decided that I will write shorter chapters that I can post more often. Maybe give us all something to do until Chicago Fire returns for real in November.

Within an hour, the numbers in the waiting room had grown. Hermann, Capp, and Cruz had joined the Chief, Severide, Brett and Kidd. An email chain had also been sent to the rest of 51, as well as to certain wives and significant others like Chloe Cruz, Donna Bodden, and Cindy Hermann.

Brett had not stopped worrying since Casey had been struck, knowing she wouldn’t be able to calm herself until she knew Matt was okay. Until she saw him with her own eyes. Not until she could thank him for being there for her, not only tonight, but the entire last year.

Looking over, she could see all of her 51 “family” lost in their own thoughts. Severide was holding Kidd’s hand, but no one was talking. The eeriness of the silence in the room was starting to take its toll on her. She got up and walked to the nurse’s station.

“Della, is there any word on Casey?” Brett asked, summoning all the courage she had. She had not stopped praying that Casey would be okay. She wasn’t sure what she would do without him. She knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Matt Casey held her heart. She just prayed he would be around so she could actually tell him that.

The older nurse looked at the female paramedic in front of her. It was obvious she had been crying. She knew Brett from her frequent stops at Med, but they were not what anyone would call close friends. With that said, Della couldn’t help but think that there was more to Casey and Brett than just one co-worker checking on the other.

Patting her hand gently, Della replied, “I haven’t heard sweetie, but I will see if I can go get an update for you.”

Brett nodded her head, thanked the nurse, and returned to her chair.

_Matt’s got to be okay._ She prayed. _I have dreams that he is a part of._

_______________________

30 minutes later, Dr. Natalie Manning walked into the waiting room. Every member of 51 immediately stood, hoping for an update…hoping for good news. 

“Everyone,” Dr. Manning said loudly, wanting to share the news with all of 51 at once. “Casey just got back from CT. As best as we can tell, his shoulders took most of the blow, but he did get a shot to the base of his skull. “

All of 51’s faces fell at the news. They were all aware of Casey’s former head injury. They braced themselves for what they knew was coming. Brett had balled both of her hands in fists, not sure if she could handle what was about to come.

“He definitely has a concussion,” Natalie continued, “but we will monitor him to see how he responds to treatment.”

Everyone let out a collective breath. The news they all just heard wasn’t good, but it was much better than it could have been. They all knew that if Casey took a blow to the wrong part of his skull, he could die. Anything short of that tonight was a victory. A small victory yes, but a victory nonetheless.

“Doc?” Severide asked, stepping forward. “Can we see him?”

Manning looked around at the group in front of her. She had no doubt that most of them would trade places with Casey in a heartbeat if they could. It was just how first responders operated. They had each other’s backs always, in whatever way was needed.

“One at a time, and only for a couple of minutes each” the doctor replied, knowing that saying no would not be an option. “When I say a couple of minutes, that is what I mean, okay? Also, talk softly and leave the light off in Casey’s room. That will help him cope with the effects of the concussion.”

Hermann, Capp, Cruz, and Kidd all immediately begged off, knowing that they could see Casey later. The last thing they wanted was to bother him if he was trying to rest. They knew that wouldn’t be an option for Severide, Bodden and Brett though. It would take calling Security to keep them from going back to see him.

“You go first Chief” Kelly suggested.

The Chief nodded, and then headed back to Casey’s room. Severide turned and pulled Kidd into an embrace, relieved that Casey’s injuries could have been much worse than they were.

Brett waved as Hermann, Cap, and Cruz left to go home. She glanced at Kidd and Severide. She was happy for her friend, as well as Kelly. They were good together. Seeing them happy and in love, though, caused Brett to miss being in that kind of relationship. 

She hadn’t had that type of relationship much in her life. Yes, there were moments with Harrison when she was happy. Same thing with Kyle and Antonio. But there always seemed to be something missing. She didn’t just want to be in a relationship. She wanted to be in love. She wanted to know that the person she loved was in it for the long haul. Someone who didn’t want anything from her except to be with be with her, to have her love them back.

_I want that with Matt,_ she surprisingly confessed to herself.

It seemed like Chief was walking back out as soon as she looked back up. He told Severide to head on back. Brett wanted to ask the Chief how Casey was, but she could see the Chief struggling with his emotions at seeing his Captain in this position.

Then a thought hit her. _What am I going to say to Casey?_

Of course, she would tell him how much she appreciated him stepping up for her. How sorry she was that he was here because of her. She knew she needed to tell him more than that. She needed to tell him everything. How she felt about him. How much he meant to her.

With all that said, she wasn’t sure she could do all of that in a few minutes. What she wanted to tell Matt didn’t need to be rushed. It was going to be hard enough telling him as it was. What if he was pulling away from her because he didn’t feel the same way? What if he didn’t want anything more from her than to just be her friend?

She didn’t know any of those answers, but she realized the time had come to tell him everything that was on her heart.

A minute or two later, Severide came back out. “Okay Brett, you can go back now.”

Brett tried to read Kelly’s face, but he was stoic, pulling Kidd into another embrace. She chewed on her lip the entire way back to Casey’s room. She could feel her nerves starting to catch up with her. She WANTED to tell Casey everything, but there was still a part of her that was worried he didn’t feel the same way. What would happen to their friendship if he didn’t feel the same way about her? She didn’t want Matt to be awkward around her, and she didn’t know how she would handle things if she knew Matt wasn’t in her corner.

She took a quick breath, then slid open the glass door of Casey’s room, trying to be as quiet as possible. She could see Casey laying there, a gauze bandage wrapped around his head and over his forehead. His eyes were closed and Brett wasn’t sure if he was asleep or not. She quickly walked over to the chair beside his bed, her eyes never leaving his face. 

Laying completely still, Sylvie could see now that Casey was indeed asleep. She took his hand in hers as she sat down. The warmth of his hand calmed her nerves. His touch felt electric on her skin, even without him trying. She then realized she had never held his hand. Sure, she had been escorted down the aisle by Matt at Cruz and Chloe’s wedding, but he had never, as long as she had known him, held her hand. 

The intimacy from this simple act caused her to blush. _My hand just seems to fit in his,_ she thought, somewhat in awe of the realization. She looked back up, hoping Casey wasn’t watching her reaction. His eyes were still shut, obviously deep in sleep. She imagined his body was trying to recover from the blow to his head, neck, and shoulders. 

Seeing him rest like this, made her realize just how exhausted she was. The stress of tonight was now mostly gone, but her body needed was wishing for its own rest too. She thought about leaving, but she didn’t want Casey waking up to an empty room. She quickly glanced over her shoulder, noticing no nurse had come to kick her out yet. Her decision came quickly and without reservation. She laced her fingers through his, laying her head on the bed beside him. With everything that had happened tonight, simply being close to him was enough to let her mind stop racing and rest. She was asleep in a matter of minutes.

Dr. Manning came by about 10-15 minutes later. She looked through the glass door into Casey’s room. There was Brett, holding Casey’s hand, resting her head on the bed, asleep. She thought about waking the paramedic up and sending her home, but then thought better of it. Maybe seeing Sylvie was exactly what Casey needed to feel better.

Pleased with her decision, she turned to speak to Della, whose smile matched her own.

“I think it’s okay for Brett to stay with Casey, don’t you?”


	4. Hands and Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the hospital, will Casey and Brett find the courage to tell each other how they feel, or will their fear still control them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the awesome feedback. I truly appreciate it. Here is Chapter 4. This is definitely a slower burn than my last story, so hopefully you all are enjoying the ride.

Somehow, Sylvie had managed to sleep the entire night, not even waking during the frequent visits the nurses made throughout the night. When one of those visits woke Casey at 3am, he glanced over to see who was holding his hand. He couldn’t see her face, but he recognized the blonde hair immediately. 

Feeling her hand in his gave him a rush, even with the terrible headache he had. He was still exhausted, but hoped that the blow to his head wasn’t causing him to hallucinate what he was seeing and feeling. The beautiful paramedic, who he clearly had feelings for, asleep beside him. He closed his fingers around hers, smiled, closed his eyes, and drifted back off to sleep.

At 7am, Brett felt her eyes open, trying to remember where she was. She could see the glass door to the hospital room and then remembered Casey. She quickly turned to face him. 

“Good morning Brett.” Casey said with a smile.

Blushing, Brett replied, “Morning to you too. How are you feeling.”

Casey was trying to think of the right thing to say, wanting her to know how much it meant to him that she would stay the night with him. In the end, he decided to go with honesty.

“Much better when you are holding my hand like that.”

She immediately turned 4 shades of red, not realizing that her hand was still in his. It felt so natural, their fingers locked together like they were. She knew, though, that as much as she wanted to, now may not be the best time to discuss her feelings for him.

Slowly, she removed her hand from his. They both could immediately feel the void left by the other’s hand. She tried to calm her nerves by looking at the floor for a moment. She quickly looked back up at Casey.

“How is your head feeling this morning?”

Leaving his hand exactly where it was, Casey wished he wouldn’t have said anything. He honestly didn’t want to let go of her hand. Not now. Not ever. He immediately missed the warmth of her hand in his. He turned to look at her, willing his body to calm down the thoughts of how her skin felt on his.

“I am okay. Feeling a little better. The nurse gave me something for my headache about 2 or 3 this morning. It seemed to take the edge off. How are you doing?”

As she nervously played with her watch, she tried to find the right words to express her gratitude for him always being in her corner. At the same time, the guilt she felt that he was here. Because of her. 

“I’m okay,” she said, taking a deep breath. “Matt, I am so sorry you got injured trying to watch out for me”. She could feel her tears pool in her eyes and quickly wiped them away. She had cried enough last night, so she didn’t want to start again today. Not when she now knew that Casey was going to be okay. 

Not one to easily accept thanks, Casey tried to brush it away. The way she used his first name, though, he knew that would stick with him for a while. He decided immediately that he was going to use her first name whenever they were out of the firehouse. “Sylvie, there is nothing to thank me for.”

Brett wasn’t having it. “No, Matt, there is something to thank you for. I saw you. You were watching me the entire time. You only came over when things escalated. Then, for being so wonderful to me, you got hit in the back of the head…with a bar stool no less.”

Shaking his head, Casey replied. “I know you can take care of yourself, Sylvie. But there was no way I was not going to make sure you were okay, especially when you are near a bunch of drunk college guys.” He made sure she caught his gaze before continuing. “Whether you realize it or not, I want to have your back…always.”.

As soon as the words finished leaving his lips, Brett swore the temperature in the room changed. She could feel her heartbeat faster and her pulse quickened. For some reason, she couldn’t break his gaze. Not that she wanted to. They sat there for what seemed like minutes, just gazing into each other eyes. Just then, they heard the door to the room open.

“Severide” Casey announced, wishing his friend didn’t have such bad timing. “Good morning?”

Brett turned slowly to face Casey’s best friend. She could feel her cheeks redden, hoping Kelly wouldn’t pick up on it. Severide took a second, glancing back and forth between the two of them. Slowly, a small smile formed on his lips. 

“Did I interrupt something you two?” Severide asked, trying to hide the glee in his voice. 

Brett turned back and looked at Casey, her smile too big to hide. She found his smile in return and mouthed the words “I’m heading home” to the Captain. Casey’s smile immediately faded. He didn’t want her to go. He wanted her to stay. He thought about reaching for her hand again, but thought better of it. The last thing he needed was for rumors to start about the two of them at 51 if she wasn’t feeling the same way he was.

Standing up, Brett patted Severide’s shoulder as she walked out of the room. She turned back towards Matt. “I am glad you are feeling better Casey” she said, immediately missing the way his first name felt on her lips. “I will check on you later today.” With those 2 sentences, she was gone.

After seeing her walk out, Severide turned back to his best friend. “Okay, really, what is going on?”

He couldn’t help it, but Casey was a little bit ticked. He and Sylvie were having a moment. One unlike what they had shared before. They had both started calling each other by their given names, and even had held hands, though he would readily admit he slept through most of that. They seemed like they were ready to discuss how they felt about each other in more detail, right before Severide came in.

“Nothing really,” Casey lied. Seeing the bandage on his friend's hand, he immediately got worried. “How are you? What happened to your hand?”

Looking down at his bandaged hand, courtesy of Kidd, Kelly just laughed. “Well, I had to at least get one good shot in on the guy who hit you with a stool.”

Confusion registered on Casey’s face. “Stool?”.

Severide nodded knowingly. Of course, no one told him what happened. “When you went after the guy that touched Brett, one of his buddies picked up one of the bar stools at Molly’s and hit in you the back of your head with it.” Looking down, Kelly continued. “I tried to tell you it was coming, but by the time I did it was too late.”

Nodding slowly, Casey agreed. “Yes, it would seem that way. The last thing I remember, honestly, is having that asshole pinned to the wall. After that the next thing I remember is being in the CT machine.”

The two sat in silence for a few minutes before Severide found the need to fill it. “What has Doc said about your condition?”

“Not a lot,” Casey replied, shaking his head slowly. “She said I was lucky. I do remember that. She also said I had a concussion and that it would be a few days to a week before I started to feel 100% again. Assuming, of course, I don’t have any lingering side effects from my last head injury.”

Kelly looked over at his friend. He knew he had brought this up to Casey before, but he felt the need to do it again. Sometimes his best friend was too stubborn for his own good.

“Good to hear Case.” Severide took a moment, trying to choose his words carefully. “I am going to head back so you can rest, but I want you to just remember this. Not a lot of folks would spend all night with someone in the hospital, unless the person they were there to support meant a whole lot to them.”

Casey pursed his lips, taking in his friend’s words. “I know Kelly. Maybe last night was the kick in the pants I needed to get off my butt and do something about it.”

Smiling at his friend’s admission, Severide turned and headed home, leaving Casey alone in his thoughts. He knew he needed to tell Sylvie how he felt. He hoped, no he needed her to feel the same way. However, one shred of doubt remained, clouding his thoughts.

_How do I tell her exactly how I feel without scaring her off?_


	5. The Next Move

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brett spent the night with Casey to make sure he was okay. Will that one act open up the possibility of more between them, of will their fears continue to hold them back?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate your feedback and kudos so far through Chapter 4. I am pleased to have finished Chapter 5 for all of you, and will hopefully have Chapter 6 up by Sunday night. Hope you all enjoy the slower burn on this story.

30 minutes later, after taking an Uber back to Molly’s so she could pick up her car, Brett drove back to her apartment. Her thoughts the entire way home were only of Casey. They seemed like they were having a moment before Severide interrupted them. Matt had been so honest about her holding his hand. She had to admit she was taken back by it. Normally he was the strong and silent type, really only opening up whenever she turned to him for support or with a problem she was dealing with. To say she was happy about this turn of events would be an understatement. 

_Maybe he does want more than to just be friends?_ she wondered?

As soon as she opened the door to her apartment, her spirits crashed back down to earth. Her apartment, her home, was full of moving boxes. Anything that normally would cheer her up, like pictures or mementos had already been packed up. When Cruz had told her and Foster that he was moving in with Chloe after the wedding, neither were shocked by the news. It was only right that their two friends would get their own place after their wedding. That had opened up one of the three bedrooms in their place. However, when Foster told her that she got into med school and that she would be moving out too, that news had knocked her off her feet. 

Instead of having to find one new roommate, she had been forced to find 2. The other alternative was to move to a cheaper apartment she could afford by herself. She had done that when she first moved to Chicago, and the neighborhood was so bad she had actually walked in on a burglar one time. She refused to move somewhere she didn’t feel safe, but her options were quickly disappearing. Time was running out for a decision, as she had a little less than a month to come up with a solution.

Not one person had reached out to her about renting the extra rooms. On top of that, the few places she had looked at that she could afford on her own were not places she would feel safe. In her heart, she was not surprised with this turn of events, as it just seemed par for the course with the year she had experienced. With that said, there was something about coming “home” everyday that didn’t feel comforting…since she knew it was unlikely to be her home much longer.

_All of that will have to wait for another day though,_ she said to herself. She plopped down on the couch and turned on her TV. She needed something to take her mind off of her housing situation. Curiously, she was not even tired, as she feared she might have been this morning. She wondered if that had something to do with sleeping beside Casey. Or even more, sleeping with her hand in Casey’s all night. The thought of how his hand felt in hers, she knew, was going to keep her up when she did try to sleep. There was just something so…well, comfortable about it.

She knew that holding his hand, even as innocently as she did, was a big step for them. Much like calling him Matt, or him calling her Sylvie. It was just easy, comfortable, and relaxed. She could feel her pulse quicken thinking about it now, but when she was in the moment, it was all just too wonderful to worry about over thinking it.

She quickly flipped through the channels, hoping something good was on today to take her mind off the two problems she currently faced. One being how to tell Matt how she felt. The second being her living situation.

_Oh well,_ she thought to herself, _nothing that a little HGTV won’t hopefully cure._

____________________________

Across town, Casey was starting to get restless. He was not one to sit around a lot. Between working at 51 and running a semi full time construction company, downtime meant money. In addition, he had never been one to just sit around and do nothing. He figured it probably had something to do with how he grew up. If he was outside playing, it lessened the chance he would be in the middle of one of his parents many fights. Some things, he imagined, never changed.

He had been thinking more and more recently about his parents and how they fought. He was beginning to wonder if having witnessed that as a child had more of impact on his relationships than he considered. 

When he had been with Hallie, he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he loved her. However, they seemed to be so on and off. They would fight one month, and then turn around a week later and get back together with everything going great. Unfortunately, that pattern kept repeating itself until her death. 

His and Gabby’s relationship was a little different, but much the same. Of course, they fought like most couples did. In retrospect, he regretted letting her push him around as much as she did. He knew in his heart now that all he was trying to do was to hold on to her. What kind of relationship is it, though, when all one partner does is take? At times, he wondered if Gabby hadn’t left to go to Puerto Rico, would they still be married? Part of him thought they wouldn’t be, but another part wondered if he would still be the same man he was when she was with him. Would he just settle for being happy that _SOMEONE_ wanted him in their lives? It had taken him spending time with someone on the other end of the relationship spectrum to see what he was truly missing.

It took him spending time and getting closer to Sylvie.

Here she was, an incredible and giving woman who was both independent and trusting all at the same time. She was completely hopeful and happy, when most of the time she had no right to be. All she wanted was to be happy and to love someone, but only if they loved her back in equal measure. Somehow, though, the men she ended up with only wanted one part of her instead of the complete and amazing package she was. Harrison only wanted a housewife. He wondered if that wasn’t what Kyle wanted as well. Antonio, well he wasn’t sure exactly what happened with them but he guessed they broke up because Antonio wanted a replacement family to replace his that was falling apart at the time.

_Who wouldn’t want each and every part of the amazing woman Sylvie was?_

He couldn’t stop shaking his head, and would have stayed lost on that trail of thought if he wouldn’t have been interrupted. Dr. Will Halstead had entered his room which Casey hoped meant good news.

“Casey, how are you feeling this morning?

Shrugging, Casey replied. “Pretty good actually. The only thing I had was a headache last night which went away. Other than that, my shoulders are sore, but that’s about it.”

Looking over Casey’s chart, Halstead wondered if Casey was being entirely truthful with him. All firefighters hated being “trapped” at the hospital. Probably because they liked to be doing instead of sitting. Casey more than most.

Halstead pulled out his pen light, wanting to see how Casey reacted to the bright light in his eyes. It only took a second of the light in Casey’s right eye for him to pull back and close his eyes.

“Well,” Halstead said, stating the obvious, “definitely still sensitive to light.”

Casey cursed his body for failing him. The last thing he wanted to do was be stuck at the hospital longer than he already had. If he needed to rest, he could do that at home.

“Yeah, I guess so Doc.”

Halstead looked up at him while he made some more notes on Matt’s chart. “Casey, you do realize how lucky you were last night? With the previous head injury you sustained, one blow to your head in the wrong place is all it will take to kill you. You remember that conversation, right?”

Nodding his head, Casey acknowledged the obvious. “But remember Doc, I didn’t ASK to get hit in the back of the head last night.”

Laughing, Halstead wrote out a prescription. “Here you go Casey. Get this prescription filled AS SOON as you leave here, you understand?”

Casey nodded in agreement again, hoping that meant he was free to leave. Of course, Halstead wouldn’t let him off that easy. “You are to stay home until next Friday, do you understand?”

Smiling, Casey readily agreed. _Anything to get me out of this hospital._

“That means no 51, no construction work, nothing but rest, okay? Then next Friday I want you to meet with your Neurologist, Dr. Kinlaw at 10am, and she will tell you if you are cleared to go back to work.”

Having received his instructions, relief washed over him. He could go home where he could actually rest. He should have known Dr. Halstead would throw one more instruction out before he left.

“Remember Casey, if anything changes, and I do mean ANYTHING, you come back here. Migraine, blurry vision, anything. If you see any changes, I want you back here at the ER immediately.”

Casey moved so his feet were dangling over the side of the bed. “Copy that Doc. I will come right back if I see any changes. Am I good to head home now?”

Thinking of second guessing his own decision, Will threw a thumb towards the door. “Get out of here Casey. But I better not hear from anyone at 51 you are driving or working when you are supposed to be home resting.”

With one nod of approval, Matt opened the cabinet to pull out the bag that held his clothes from last night. Halstead left the room, heading to see other patients. Casey quickly got dressed. He was going to need a ride home. His initial instinct was to call Brett, but she had probably just gotten back home herself. Even though it was exactly the thing he wanted, he quickly decided against asking her to come back to the hospital she just left. _I will just take an Uber_ , he decided, even though he didn't like them.

With his decision made and his clothes back on, he did send one text to the blonde PIC.

Matt: _Sylvie, I wanted to let you know I am getting discharged. Just wanted to let you know I am doing better and heading home. I can’t tell you how much it meant to me that you stayed here last night with me. Don’t know if anyone has told you lately, but you are one pretty incredible woman._


	6. The Meaning Behind the Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Casey gets out of the hospital, he and Brett begin to text. In this modern world we live in though, do we always understand EXACTLY what the other person is trying to say?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the great feedback so far on this story. I thought Chapter 6 wouldn't be up until Sunday, but got motivated which means you get Chapter 5 and 6 on the same day! Hopefully this will also allow me to get Chapter 7 to you by the end of the weekend.

Hearing the familiar ping of an incoming message, Brett paused the episode of _House Hunters International_ she was watching. She let her face ID open her phone, then clicked on the green bubble that showed she had a text. When she read the text from Casey, she could feel her cheeks redden with his kind words. Him thanking her was not surprising. It was the last sentence that really got her attention.

_One pretty incredible woman._

She read the text several times again, hoping that she was inferring the message the way he wanted her to. His sweet words brought a smile to her face that was so big, she thought her cheeks may start hurting. While part of her was somewhat upset that he didn’t call her to give him a ride, she quickly forgot that slight, since Severide was in his room when she left. She tried to think of an appropriate reply that might convey to him what SHE was feeling. After typing a few messages that she quickly deleted, she finally settled on what she thought was the most appropriate, but most suggestive message.

Sylvie: _Why wouldn’t I stay at the hospital with the amazing man who had my back last night, as well as the entire last year? I hope you are feeling better. Try to get some rest today._

Then, as somewhat of an afterthought, she decided to put herself out there a little bit more than her normal comfort zone would allow if they were face to face.

Sylvie: _If you decide later you want some company, let me know._

After she hit the send button, she immediately regretted it. Right now, all Matt needed to focus on was getting better, not having to worry about hurting her feelings if he wanted to be alone. She thought about sending another text to make a joke about her previous message, but decided against it. If Casey did have feelings for her, even in the slightest, the last thing she wanted to do was to scare him off by practically inviting herself into his company and then make a joke about it.

She threw her head back against the back of the couch in frustration.

_Why was this all so difficult?_

She had been in numerous relationships in the past. For most of them, she was the one who was pursued. Men like Harrison, Cruz, and even Otis had gone out of there way to make their intentions about her very obvious. On the other hand, she had pursued a relationship with Kyle to some degree, and Antonio entirely. She tried to wrap her mind around why, if she was comfortable pursuing Antonio, was she not comfortable doing the same with Matt?

Was it that they worked together? Or could it be, that unlike Antonio and even Kyle, neither of them did she regard as such a close friend as Matt was? She wasn’t sure she knew the answer, nor was she sure she even wanted to know. Sometimes she wished she had a therapist on speed dial who could just give her all the answers, but she knew that was just wishful thinking.

Plugging her phone into her charger, she decided to go take a shower and try not to think about all these questions she had rolling around her mind. Her next shift started tomorrow morning at 7am, and she wanted to be ready early if Casey did want company tonight. 

_Please,_ she prayed to the heavens, _please let one GOOD thing happen to me this year._

_____________________________

When Severide heard the door to the loft open, he was surprised to see Casey walking through it.

“You got discharged?” Kelly asked in disbelief. “Why didn’t you call me? I would have come pick you up.”

Waving him off, Casey responded, “I know you would have, but you had just left. It was just easier for me to get an Uber home.”

Not many people outside of 51 got to see Severide’s protective streak come out, but since he and Casey had been friends for so long, Matt knew what was coming.

“What did the doctor say this morning?”

“Same old stuff.” Casey replied, putting his prescription down on the table and grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge. “Told me to rest, not to work or drive, and to come back if my condition changes.”

Taking his friend’s comments in, Severide pondered the news his friend had just shared. “Did they at least make you see your Neurologist BEFORE they discharged you?”

Casey shook his head. “No, but Dr. Halstead got me an appointment for next Friday at 10am to see her. She has to clear me before I can go back to being a functioning member of society again.”

His friend’s words were dripping with sarcasm, so Kelly tried to bite his tongue. However, he was never quite as good at that as Casey was, so he couldn’t stop his next statement from slipping out.

“Better to be a functioning member of society than a dead one.”

The biting words hung in the air for what seemed like minutes. Casey made his way over to the couch, taking the end opposite his best friend.

“Kel, I know I am lucky. Trust me, when I went over there to make sure Sylvie was okay, I definitely didn’t think I would end up in the hospital. I know how lucky I am.”

Severide took his friends word as truth. That didn’t mean he wasn’t going to make sure he followed each and everyone of the doctor’s orders. 

“Good Casey. I am glad you realize how serious this is. And because of that, I think I will ask for some furlough so I can stay here with you next week.”

“No way”, Casey pleaded. “Look, the majority of the time I am going to just be sleeping. The medicine they gave me for any headaches I have is definitely strong enough to put me down for most of the day anyway.”

He considered challenging his friend, but decided to let it go. Smiling, he did have one more question for him though.

“Okay, I will go to work tomorrow on one condition. Tell me, when did you start calling Brett Sylvie?”

Casey could feel his checks blush at being caught. He didn’t want to lie to his friend, but hell, Severide knew how much he liked Brett anyway. Matt just decided to shoot straight with his friend.

“I decided that this morning when I woke up and she was holding my hand, after staying with me all night. I also decided that I am only going to call her that when we are outside of 51.”

Laughing out loud at his friend’s admission, Severide gently patted his friend’s shoulder. “Good for you man. Now you just need to ask her out on a date.”

Casey turned and looked at the TV. “I might just do that…when I can drive again.”

_________________________

The two friends talked about everything and nothing over the next 20 minutes. It was then that Casey announced he was going to take a shower and see if he could get some more sleep. He walked back towards his bedroom, passing Kidd coming out of her and Kelly’s bedroom, in nothing but panties and a t-shirt.

“Morning Captain.”

“Morning Kidd.” Casey replied before entering his bedroom and closing the door.

_I have got to get my own place. The sooner the better._

After he got into the bathroom and got the shower started, Casey pulled his phone out of his jeans. He was surprised to see 2 missed texts, but for some reason his phone was on silent. He quickly got undressed, and while he waited for the water to warm up, he read the messages from Sylvie. He could not stop the smile that formed on his face, even if it did hurt his head slightly.

_Amazing man_ , huh?

When he saw the second one, he could feel his pulse quicken. _Company tonight might be exactly what the doctor ordered._

___________________________

It was a little after 3pm when Casey woke up. After he had taken his shower and dried off, he laid down in his bed. He didn’t even remember falling asleep, but obviously his body needed the rest. He did have a slight headache, but didn’t want to take any medicine yet. He knew Brett would be on shift tomorrow, so if he wanted to see her tonight, it needed to be soon. He grabbed his phone off the night stand to text her, only to see another missed text from her.

Sylvie: _How is your head feeling?_

He immediately knew that there was no way he was going to tell her he had a slight headache. If he did, he was sure she would go into paramedic mode, tell him to take his medicine and that she would see him later. That was the last thing he wanted. He felt like last night and today was potentially progress for them, and the last thing he wanted to do was break whatever momentum they had going.

Matt: _I feel better. Had a shower earlier and just woke up from a nap._

Casey thought about adding his desire for company, but couldn’t bring himself to do it. She had made that comment hours ago, so her plans might have changed by now. He could see the three dots flashing, indicating that she was responding.

Sylvie: _I am glad you are feeling better. What did the doctor say about work?_

Matt: _Out for at least a week._

Sylvie chewed on her lip. First, she was having a hard time trying not to picture Matt in the shower. She knew the image in her head was going to stay with her for a while. Also, she was trying to think of the best reply his comment. Going a week without seeing Matt was going to be hard, especially with how well things had been going between the two of them. In an instant, she decided to be brave and tell him how she really felt.

Sylvie: _I am so sorry Matt. I’m really going to miss you around 51._

That was all the opening Casey needed. Taking a breath, he told her exactly what he wanted.

Matt: _I’m going to miss you too. Since we will both be missing each other next week, why don’t you come over and have dinner with us tonight?_


	7. Can I Really Trust a Text?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Sylvie text each other, neither sure that the other means what they are reading into it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Continued feedback and kudos are really appreciated you all! Was inspired to knock out Chapter 7 today, which means you might actually get 4 chapters this weekend if I can get 8 done tomorrow. Hope you enjoy!

Sylvie couldn’t help but smile at Matt’s text. _Was he really asking her to come eat with him?_ They rarely, if ever, ate together outside the firehouse. Just the thought of him asking was a huge step. She couldn’t help but be a little disappointed at the “us” in that statement, but if having dinner with Casey meant spending time with Kidd and Severide, she was all for it. Besides, having them there might help her feel more comfortable, especially if Casey was just being nice and trying to repay her for staying at the hospital with him. 

Sylvie: _Of course I will. That would be great. Just tell me what time to be there and what to bring._

Now Casey was the one smiling. Even though these were just baby steps between him and Sylvie, they were steps forward nonetheless. Hopefully, at least. 

Matt: _Since you have work tomorrow, why don’t you come over about 6:30? Don’t worry about bringing anything, I will take care of dinner._

Pondering his last text, Brett wanted to make sure he knew how excited she was to have dinner with him. Maybe throwing in a little flirting wouldn't hurt?

Sylvie: _Sounds good. I can’t wait! Maybe this will help me cope with not seeing you for a week?_

Staring at his phone, he read the last text a couple of times to make sure he had gotten the meaning she was trying to send. He swore she was flirting with him, though he had to admit it had been a while since he had flirted, REALLY flirted, with anyone. Knowing he was out of practice, he decided to just type what he wanted her to know.

Matt: _I can’t wait either. As for missing me this next week, it’s not like you don’t know where I live. You are free to come see me any time. I am sure your company would cheer me up._

Sylvie couldn’t believe they were saying these things. It was so out of character for both of them, but maybe it was easier to tell the other how they really felt guarded behind the veil of technology. She decided to send him one more text. One that she hoped got him thinking.

Sylvie: _Well then, I might just have to take you up on that offer. The least I can do is try to keep your spirits up, since you are in this situation because of me. See you in a little while. REALLY looking forward to tonight._

He readily admitted he was proud of himself, based on her response. He decided that he had pushed things far enough, deciding to let her go.

Matt: _Looking forward to it too! See you soon._

With that last message sent, Casey got up and went out into the living space. He saw Kidd in the kitchen looking for a snack

“Kidd, Brett is coming over for dinner tonight. Do you want to order enough for the four of us from the Chinese restaurant down on the corner? My treat.”

Not able to hide her joy at this news, Kidd turned to look at Casey. “I think we can definitely make that happen. You sure you don’t want me and Kelly to leave so the two of you can be alone?”

Matt quickly shook his head, “No, I already told her it would be the four of us.”

“Copy that Captain”, Kidd replied, before aiming a personal zinger at him. “And if I may, I am proud of you for making SOME kind of move on Brett.”

Casey let his head fall towards the floor. It was one thing to get those kind of barbs thrown at him from Severide, but entirely another to get them from Kidd. _Did everyone know how much he liked Sylvie?_ He decided not answering was his best play, and instead walked over to the couch and join with Kelly to watch the game that was on TV.

_______________________________

The entire drive over to Casey’s place, Brett was a bundle of nerves. Yes, she felt better knowing that Severide and Kidd were going to be there, but she was still going to be having dinner with Matt tonight. You could call it whatever you wanted, a group of friends grabbing a meal together, or two friends just eating at the same time and place. Even though her mind knew that, her heart felt it was something more. It certainly wasn’t a REAL date. She and Matt would need to be alone for that. With that said, it was one step further than they had ever gone before. She still wasn’t sure that he felt the same way towards her that she did for him, but the last 2 days were beginning to test her resolve on that viewpoint.

At 6:25, Brett knocked on the door of the loft. After a few seconds, Kidd opened the door. 

_“_ Hey girl! Come on in!” Kidd said with a smile, pulling Brett into a hug _._

_“_ Hey yourself Kidd _.”_

Quickly panning around the room to make sure no one was listening, Kidd leaned in closer to Brett’s ear.

“I am glad Casey finally made some kind of move.”

Brett quickly shook her head, not acknowledging that this was what she hoped it was. “Don’t say that Stella _.”_ Brett whispered back. _“_ I am still not sure Matt likes me like that _.”_

“Yeah, right.” Kidd laughingly replied, before pulling her friend into the kitchen. Before she knew it, Severide pulled her into a hug too.

_“_ Welcome Brett. Glad you could finally get to see our loft.”, said Severide, clearly proud of their place.

She though about telling him she had actually been there before, when Matt had kept the letter from her birth mom that she hadn't wanted to read, but decided against that. She had no doubt it would get used against her somehow.

Taking a breath, Brett asked, “What are we having tonight?”

“Chinese.” Matt replied while walking out of his bedroom. _God, she is beautiful_ , he thought, amazed at the fact he had never NOT been blown away by her, regardless of how she was dressed. His initial desire was to go give Sylvie a hug, but he quickly decided against it. Brett, however, had other ideas.

She quickly walked across the room towards the handsome firefighter and wrapped her arms around him. Casey was surprised, actually more like shocked, at the forwardness she displayed. With that said, he wrapped his arms around her in return, grateful for the feeling of her next to him.

“Matt, I am so glad you are okay. I was really worried.”, she said, squeezing him tightly.

Reaching down, he placed his hand on her chin, tilting it up towards his face. “I am fine Sylvie. It’s going to take a lot more than some stupid kid to keep me down.”

They held onto each other, both seemingly lost in their own world. It was only when Casey looked and saw Kidd and Severide grinning at them, that he broke away from her.

Brett wondered what was happening. She loved hugging Casey and normally he always liked hugging her back. When she heard the giggling behind her, she too turned to see Casey’s roommates, who were looking at them like they just let out some big secret. She quickly pulled her arms back and started walking over towards the table.

“So, are you all ready to eat?”, she asked, hoping they couldn’t see her blushing. “I am famished.”


	8. The Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having accepted Casey's invitation to join him, Severide and Kidd at dinner, Brett arrived at the loft. Could this dinner be the start of something more?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You continued feedback about this story has gotten me inspired, which means you get Chapter 8 tonight! That also means there is a chance you might get Chapter 9 tomorrow. Hope you enjoy!

Brett quickly took a seat at the table, trying her best to keep from looking up. It was obvious that her hugging Casey had been taken out of context by Kidd and Severide. Truthfully, though, she wanted to hug Matt because she WAS happy that he was okay. She truly did appreciate what he had done for her the night before at Molly’s. If there was one thing she never had to worry about, it was knowing Matt was in her corner.

It had been that way the entire last year, really. He only wanted what was best for her, whether that was Kyle (at the time), her Mom, or ever her sister Amelia. That was the mark of a true friend…never having to doubt that they had your back. With that said, that was one of the worries she had about pursuing a relationship with him. What happened if she tried to date him and he ended it? Would Casey still be in her corner then?

She would readily admit that she had not had the best luck with relationships, or engagements for that matter. If she cared for someone, it was her nature to pour all of herself into the relationship. The only problem with that was when it became obvious that she was pouring her heart and soul into something that wasn’t worth keeping. Or worse yet, that she was the only one pouring anything into the relationship.

Having done that with Harrison was one thing. They had known each other for so long she had believed that they were on the same page. It was only in the last year of their engagement that she came to realize she wanted more. More from him. More for her. Having to admit to herself and her family that neither Harrison, nor her, could save their relationship was one of the hardest things she had ever had to do.

With Antonio it had been easier. She pursued him, fully committing to being with him. Since they didn’t date that long, it was easier for her to pull away when she saw a lot of the same warning signs she had with Harrison. Antonio was a great guy, but he was hurting. He was trying to deal with his divorce and how to be a single father. Yes, it had been fun when she was with him, but at times she felt like all Antonio was looking for was someone to fill the hole that they had left in his heart. While Antonio was great, she deserved better. She deserved someone choosing HER, not because they needed something from her. But instead choosing her because they couldn’t live without her.

Her relationship with Kyle was different than her previous engagement to Harrison. For one, Kyle was a genuinely good man. She could never lie and say Kyle wasn’t a good and decent person. Her mistake, in retrospect, was choosing to accept his proposal and move back to Folwerton, even when she knew in her heart that she didn’t want to leave Chicago. She sometimes wondered if Casey hadn’t mentioned how good she and Kyle were together, would she have accepted the Chaplain’s proposal?

She was knocked out her self-reflection when Matt asked her a question.

“I’m sorry Matt. What were you saying?” she asked. She knew she was blushing, but she couldn’t help it now. She knew that he had noticed that she was lost in her thoughts.

His face showed his concern for her. He tried to act like he wasn’t, but he had seen that expression before on Brett. She always had that look when she was lost in her thoughts. He wished he could find the switch to hit to let her relax and just be with them. That switch, though, was something he knew he needed to find for himself too. He was just as bad as going down the rabbit hole of thoughts and concerns as she was.

Casey tried to smile at her through his concern. “I just asked if you wanted a fortune cookie”, he asked, catching her gaze.

_Boy, could I get lost in his eyes,_ she admitted to herself. “Yes please, I need all the good luck I can get the rest of the year.”

Handing the fortune cookie to Brett, he turned back to face the table. He discreetly let his right-hand drift under the table, finding her knee. He gave it two quick squeezes, turning slightly to wink at her. He wanted her to know that he was there for her if she needed it.

His hand on her knee sent shock waves through her body, but when she turned slightly and caught Casey’s wink, she immediately understood. Somehow, they were sometimes able to communicate without speaking. That truth both amazed and concerned her. It amazed her because it felt like this was something they had always done, even if it had only really been happening the last few months. What concerned her though, was that if Casey could truly understand her without words, how did he not know that she was crazy about him?

She quickly reached her left hand under the table, patting the top of his hand on her knee, returning his smile. He pulled his hand back above the table, simultaneously responding to something Severide was talking about. Casey felt the warmth of her hand on his. The same warmth he had felt this morning. He knew quickly that having her hand in his was something he could get addicted to. 

The void left on her knee from his hand was noticeable, and she already missed the connection they had just shared. She too turned, trying to get engaged in the dinner conversation that was going on. _Boy,_ she thought, _I need a drink to calm my nerves._

___________________________

The rest of the dinner was easy and carefree. Now that Brett was fully present, she was involved in the conversation, with all of them sharing many laughs at some of Kidd’s outlandish stories. When they all finished, Brett helped Casey clean up the table. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Severide grab his car keys while Kidd grabbed her coat. _What are they doing,_ she wondered?

“Case,” Severide said, grabbing his roommate’s attention. “We are going to run over to Molly’s and pick up your truck. We will be back in a little while.”

Casey was definitely surprised at this news, but just nodded his agreement. Neither Kidd nor Severide had mentioned anything about getting his truck tonight. He immediately knew that this was there attempt to give him and Brett some time alone. As Kidd was getting ready to leave, she threw her head back in the direction of Brett at the table. Casey quickly shook his head no.

“You two be careful with my truck, you here?”

The door to the loft closed before he even got all the words out. He turned back towards Brett, who was looking at him from across the table, a somewhat amused expression on her face. He quickly took a deep breath, trying to gather his thoughts.

“So Sylvie, do you want to share with me what had you lost in your thoughts at dinner?”


	9. After Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having finished dinner and now alone, Brett and Casey must figure out how and what to say to each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to you all for your continued reading. I appreciate all your kudos and comments. Here is Chapter 9. Hope you enjoy it!

The amusement on Brett’s face quickly faded. She returned Matt’s gaze while she chewed on her lip. She hated to lie to him, but she wasn’t sure how well the rest of the evening would go if she told him that she was lost in thoughts about her exes? Probably not the way she wanted it to go, she was sure. In an instant, she decided that, in this case, a little lie wouldn’t hurt anything.

“Um, I was just thinking about my apartment.” Her gaze quickly drifted to her feet, hoping Matt wouldn’t figure out that she wasn’t telling the truth.

Confusion crossed Casey’s face as his eyebrows arched at her response. “Your apartment? What’s wrong with your apartment?”. She hadn’t said anything to him recently about her apartment.

Pursing her lips, Sylvie responded. “The only thing wrong with my apartment is that I am down two roommates. What’s worse, I can’t afford to stay there on my own and every option I CAN afford is not somewhere I would want to live.” With that news off her chest, she put her hands on the back of the chair, leaning against it. 

Even though this admission got him off the trail of her being lost in thought about her exes, the last thing she wanted to do was to burden Matt with more of her problems. It was literally all she had done this last year. Just when things seemed to be getting better, some fresh new hell would rear its ugly head, causing her to lay more and more of her problems out in the open for him to see.

_God, I am a mess. Why would he ever want to date me when all he can see is my messed up life?_

Matt walked behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders. His strong hands slowly kneaded the muscles in her shoulders. Brett let her head fall forward to her chest, reveling in the feeling of all of the stress leaving her body. Casey moved one of his hands up to the base of her neck, gently massaging the tight muscles there as well.

She loved how his hands felt on her skin. Even with something as innocent as a massage, his touch sent shock waves running down her spine before they spread to the rest of her body. Casey smiled in contentment, pleased to know he could take some stress off of her. He reached up, moving her blonde hair away from her ear. His mouth slowly bent closer to her ear. He gently whispered, “It’s okay Sylvie. I have no doubt everything is going to be okay.”

Goose bumps popped up on her exposed skin, thanks to the hot breath from Casey’s mouth as he spoke. She wanted nothing more than to turn around and kiss him right them, but she held back, still not sure where his feelings towards her stood. She felt his arms slide around to her waist, pulling her back against his strong chest. For a second, she felt like her back melted into him.

“What can I do to help?”, he asked her, his mouth thankfully now at the back of her head.

“Nothing but this”, she purred. Without thinking, she also added, “Unless you want to rent one of my extra bedrooms?”

The minute the words left her mouth, she felt Casey stiffen behind her. She cursed herself for letting the thought, that should have been locked away in her mind somewhere, out into the open. Silence enveloped them for several seconds. She quickly considered trying to laugh off her remark, but instead decided to escape.

“Matt, do you mind if I use your restroom?”

“Sure,” Casey replied, releasing his hold on her. “Why don’t you use mine?”.

As soon as Brett pulled away from him, he immediately missed the feel of her body against his. _How had she known that he was thinking of moving out?_ He didn’t remember telling her that. Besides, if she was serious about needing a roommate, he knew he would strongly consider it. The ability to spend more time outside of work in her presence would be amazing. However, if she didn’t want anything more from him other than to be friends, he wasn’t sure he could live in the same apartment with her, especially if she brought another man home. He threw his head back in disgust, looking at the ceiling. He knew that all he wanted to do was to be with her. _Why is this so freaking difficult,_ he wondered?

Brett didn’t dare a look back at Casey as she walked towards his bedroom. Part of her felt like she wanted to crawl into bed and never come out, she was so embarrassed. Another, smaller part, was thrilled that she FINALLY spoke something, out loud to him, that came from her heart. If she was being completely honest with herself, she would like nothing better than to have Casey move in with her. She had started to dread the days between shifts when she wouldn’t see him. The fact that she missed him when he wasn’t around was the one small fact that she had finally admitted to herself. What scared her, no petrified was a better word, was Casey moving in and then bringing another woman home to his room. Having lived with Foster, she knew that the walls in her apartment were thin. If she had to listen to Casey having sex with another woman, two doors down from her, she knew it would absolutely crush her soul.

When she entered Casey’s bedroom, she realized it was the first time she had ever been in it. She took a moment to take it in. He had a desk in the right corner with a laptop and printer, with stacks of papers taking up every other surface. She noticed his bed was made up, which shouldn’t have surprised her but it did. Casey was meticulous in the firehouse, so why would he be any different at home? She ran her hand down the Chester drawers that ran on the left wall. All of the sudden, she became aware that something missing. He didn’t have one picture in his room. Not on his desk, nor the drawers, not even anything on his nightstand. Remembering the fire that he had endured at his condo, she knew Kidd had one time mentioned he had lost everything. 

Sylvie’s heart broke for Matt, thinking of all of the small, meaningful things from his life that he no longer had. She decided instantly to do something about it. She pulled her phone out of her back pocket and quickly found the right name in her text history. She typed a short text and hit send. She then moved into his bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her. The bathroom was as clean and tidy as the bedroom was. She put her hands on the white stone vanity, looking at herself in the mirror. Her mind immediately flashed an image of Matt behind her, holding her like he just had been. 

Shaking that image out of her head, she looked back at her reflection. _Get it together Sylvie! Matt’s only being nice!_

Trying to hide the fact that she had come in here to escape him, Brett flushed the toilet before washing and drying her hands. With one last look in the mirror, she willed herself to hold it together for just a little while longer.

__________________________

While Brett was in his room, Casey attempted to finish cleaning up the table. In truth, he was trying to get his mind OFF the thought of living with Sylvie. He put the last plate in the sink, before he ran his hand through his air. He turned on the faucet, washing the remnants of dinner off of it before he placed it into the dishwasher. With that task done, he turned towards the living area right when Brett emerged from his bedroom.

For some reason, she looked different than she had before she left his embrace. He quickly ran through their interaction, trying to figure out if he had said something wrong, but couldn’t come up with anything. 

“You okay Sylvie?”, he asked, the concern evident on his face.

She held his gaze, getting lost in his eyes for a moment. “I am” she replied. “I am just sorry I dumped another one of my problems on you, especially when the only thing you need to be focusing on is getting better.”

Shaking his head slowly, he tried to think of the right response. “Sylvie, I want you to talk to me about what you are dealing with. I meant it before when I said that I want to be here for you.”

Wrapping her arms around herself, she immediately missed the feeling of being wrapped in Casey’s strong embrace. “I appreciate that Matt. I really do. But I want you to know that is a two-way street”. She took a deep breath before continuing. “You need to trust me sometimes to tell me what is going on in that mind of yours, especially if something is bothering you. I want to be there for you too.”

Matt couldn’t deny himself anymore and quickly walked over to where she was standing, pulling her into another embrace. Sylvie responded by wrapping her arms around his waist in return. They just stood there, lost in their own thoughts for what seemed like minutes.

“How about we make a deal?” he asked her.

She looked up at him, a sly grin on her face. “Depends on what kind of deal we are talking about Matt?”

His eyes locked on hers, Matt said, “How about we BOTH agree to talk to each other about whatever we have going on that we are worrying about?”

A smile broke across her face. “I think I like that deal.”

Pulling her back to his chest, Casey bent down and placed a soft kiss on top of her head. “Me too Sylvie.”

They both stood there, lost in their embrace. Brett began to get worried about Kidd and Severide returning so she decided to head home. Reluctantly, Matt let go of her as she turned and reached for her pocketbook.

“I am going to miss you tomorrow at shift Matt”, she stated honestly. “If I am honest, I am a little worried about you being here by yourself for the next 24 hours.”

Touched by her concern, Casey tried to allay her fears. “I will be fine Sylvie. I imagine I will sleep the majority of your shift anyway.”

Brett started to chew on her lip. His words still didn’t calm her nerves. “Matt, do me a favor okay? Text me every 4 hours or so that you are okay? It will make ME feel better.”

Nodding his agreement, Casey embraced her one last time. “I will, as long as I am not asleep.”

With his consent, Sylvie started to head towards the door. “Thanks for inviting me tonight. I enjoyed having dinner with all of you.”

Matt smiled at her compliment. “Good. You are welcome anytime.”

With one quick wave from her, she turned and walked to the door. Just as she opened it, she heard Matt add one more thing. 

“I am going to miss you tomorrow too Sylvie.”


	10. The Next Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone but Matt returns to shift the next day. However, the void of him is felt by everyone, but one person in particular.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for continuing to check out my story. Here is Chapter 10! As always, thanks for your kind comments and kudos. Hope you enjoy!

Brett got to the station 10 minutes before the start of shift, already dressed and ready to go. She had not slept well the night before and she feared that today was going to be the kind of shift she had to grind through.

All night long, her sleep had been interrupted with thoughts of Casey. She was still mortified that she had suggested he move into her apartment. Of all the things she could have said, why was that the one that came out? She wondered if it was some kind of Freudian Slip, where her subconscious spoke out what she really wanted. Deep down, she knew that she wanted Matt. Whether it was dating, living together, or being friends, she wanted him in her life any way she could have him.

What kept popping up in her sleep the most were the last words he said to her before she left. _I am going to miss you tomorrow too Sylvie._ She knew they were friends, and had been for a while now, but last night was the first time either of them had verbalized that they would miss each other when they wouldn’t see the other. For her, it was easy to tell him how she felt, as she wasn’t very good at hiding her emotions. For Matt, though, his words made her think that it wasn’t so far fetched that he wanted more than to be just friends too.

After stowing her bag in her locker, Brett took her normal place at roll call. She had, yet again, another floater with her today. Stephanie De Leon. She had worked with her one other time. She was definitely good at her job, but was a little more reserved than Brett typically was. Today, however, not talking might be exactly what she needed. 

Right before Bodden came in, Brett’s phone chimed with a text. She quickly opened it, secretly hoping it was from Matt. Unfortunately, it was from Chloe. Still for her, this was good news, as Chloe was helping her with a little project that she hoped would help Matt feel more at home in the loft.

Chloe: Got your message. All the pictures are at the Walgreens on N Clark ready to be picked up!

Brett smiled at this news, happy that her friend was willing to help her out.

Sylvie: Thank you SO much. I can’t wait to see Matt’s expression when I show him.

Chloe: I am sure he is going to love them Sylvie. Lord knows he looks at you like you hung the moon.

Blushing, Brett didn’t know how to respond to Joe’s wife. Did Matt really look like that when she was around? She hadn’t seen it before, but maybe she missed it. On the other hand, maybe her friend was trying to create something that wasn’t there. She tried to think of an appropriate answer, but was luckily saved by Bodden taking his place at the front of the room.

______________________________

A little later, after 10am, Brett and De Leon were getting ready to return to 51 from Med. They had just finished gathering up some needed supplies when she heard her phone alert her to a new text.

Matt: Morning Sylvie! Hope you are having a relatively slow shift. Wanted to let you know that I just woke up and am feeling fine.

Quickly, she read through the text once, then again. She was relieved he had remembered her instructions from last night. She knew before shift had even started that today was going to be torture for her. Knowing he was home recovering, all alone at home, had tempted her into taking today off. She knew he wouldn’t have liked it, but it would have made HER feel better. Recovering from head injuries was always tricky. Adding to that, a previous head injury just complicated the healing process. In the end, she decided to work her shift as scheduled. That didn’t mean she wasn’t going to stop by and check on him tomorrow, though.

As De Leon got into the driver’s seat of 61, Sylvie took her spot in the passenger’s seat. “De Leon, do you mind if we make a quick stop at a specific Walgreens?”

“Works for me.” De Leon replied.

Fifteen minutes later they had parked in front of the Walgreens. Brett hopped out of the ambo, quickly making her way into the store. She gave the woman behind the counter her name, and a few moments later she was handed three pictures. Sylvie quickly pulled them out to look at them. She hadn’t seen any of them yet, but she trusted Chloe’s instincts in which ones to pick out. Of course, the new Mrs. Cruz had nailed the selections, which made Brett even happier about her plan.

Turning she grabbed three matching dark wood frames, paid for everything, and returned to the vehicle.

“Okay,” Brett announced, slightly out of breath. “Let’s get back to 51.”

___________________________________

A couple of hours later, everyone was anxiously awaiting the announcement that lunch was ready. Gallo and Ritter were experimenting with some “twist” on Americana staples, so today was going to be some type of special meatloaf. Brett sat at one of the tables beside De Leon, reading a magazine.

Outside at the Squad table, Severide was presiding over a game of hearts. Cruz, who was currently winning, was talking trash to Capp and Tony, who were down BIG so far today. Across the apparatus floor, Severide saw someone walking towards them slowly. It only took him a few seconds to realize exactly who the person walking to them was.

Standing quickly, Severide started stalking towards the young man.

“No way buddy, you just need to turn around and head home.” Kelly practically yelled, his anger starting to build. He could see the remnants of the black eye he had given him, payback for hitting Casey with a stool.

The young man stopped dead in his tracks at the sound of Kelly’s voice. “I…I…just came to apologize.” The fraternity member dropped his head, staring at the concrete floor as if he wanted it to swallow him whole.

Kelly immediately knew that the kid’s intentions were good, simply based on the way he was carrying himself. He looked like this was the last place on earth he wanted to be.

Softening his approach, Kelly tried to reason with the man in front of him. “I appreciate you doing that, but Casey isn’t even here today. So, if you want to leave me your name and number, I will call you when he is back. That way you can apologize to him in…”

Kelly didn’t even have a chance to get out of all the words before he saw a yellow flash go between them. Brett, obviously having heard them from the bullpen, had rushed out and grabbed the young man by the lapels on his jacket, pushing him backwards until his back hit a support beam.

“YOU COULD HAVE KILLED HIM!”, she yelled, her face now close to the scared visitor. “Just because your friend was an asshole doesn’t mean you hit someone with a STOOL!” Brett’s face was red, her anger at Casey’s situation boiling over. 

Behind her, the rest of 51 had come out to see what all the ruckus was about. They all stood there, shocked to see the normal sweet and reserved Sylvie go off on a visitor like this. Finally, Stella pushed through them, running over to her friend. She reached her arm around Brett’s waist, pulling her away from the shocked man.

“Brett, he’s not worth it. Let it go.” Sylvie struggled to get out of her friend’s grip, wanting to show this stupid excuse of a human know exactly how much damage he could have done. That was until the bellowing voice of the Chief rang out behind her.

“EEEENNNNOOOUUUGGGGHHHH!”

The entire scene became eerily quiet. Bodden briskly walked over, standing in front of Brett and Kidd, facing the young visitor who currently was disrupting HIS firehouse.

“Young man, I appreciate you coming here, but I think you need to leave.”

The fraternity brother quickly nodded, turned on his heels, and practically ran out of the building.

The Chief turned, glancing at the two women behind him. He decided to let it rest for now, instead announcing to everyone else to get back inside. Stella patted Sylvie’s shoulder.

“Come on in Brett. Let’s get something to eat.”

Brett shook her head. She wasn’t sure exactly what had just come over her, but it scared her. She felt the need to be alone right now. Not having to explain to everyone at 51 what had just happened would be the best thing for her right now. She walked swiftly over to her vehicle, taking a seat on the back bumper. She tried to steady her breathing, but failed miserably at it.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Christopher Hermann come around the vehicle. He stood there, both hands jammed into his pockets. “You okay Brett?”

Brett slowly shook her head. Somehow, she knew that if anyone at 51 would understand her right now, it would be Hermann. She turned and looked up at him. “Hermann, I have no idea what came over me”, she said, admitting the truth to him as much as to herself.

Taking a seat on the opposite end of the bumper, Hermann gave her a thin smile. “It’s okay Brett, we all lose it sometimes. It’s what makes us human.”

She knew that she was somehow not explaining it correctly to the Lieutenant. She could see her hands shaking, but was unable to stop it. Trying again, she told him exactly what she felt. “You don’t understand Hermann. I haven’t been in a fight since I was in elementary school. For some reason, though, I felt like I was about 2 seconds away from punching him.”

Nodding in acknowledgment, Hermann stood back up. He started to walk back inside, but stopped, turning back to share an insight with his young co-worker. “Brett, I understand it, I really do. As you get older, you find you will resort to extreme measures to protect the people you love.”

With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Brett sitting there, stunned. 

_Am I in love with Matt Casey?_


	11. He Was Supposed to Text

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After her outburst at the kid who injured Matt, how will Brett move forward?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a thank you to all of you who are enjoying this story, you get two chapters in one day! I hope you are enjoying this slow burn, but I promise it is going to start heating up soon. Hope you enjoy!

The rest of the shift went by with Sylvie in a haze. She tried to avoid everyone, not wanting to have to explain why she acted like she did. Luckily, Severide and Kidd took the lead in explaining exactly who the visitor to 51 had been.

Luckily, depending on whose viewpoint you took, Ambulance 61 was slammed the rest of the day. Sometimes, they received another call to go out before they were even able to get back to 51. Brett was glad that today, at least, she didn’t have a chatty partner. De Leon had asked her once if she was okay, and when Sylvie nodded affirmatively, her partner left it alone. Besides, Brett knew she would not have been good company today anyway.

What occupied most of her thoughts was Hermann’s comment. She couldn’t really be in love with Matt, could she? I mean they were friends, and had been for a while, but didn’t you have to at least date a person a little before deciding that you loved them? To her, the word love also meant commitment, and she had not seen anything from Matt that indicated that was what he wanted with her. On the contrary, he had not even done anything even the least bit romantic with her if you took away his hugs and his short massage last night.

About 1am, her thoughts switched from herself to Matt. He had agreed to text her every 4 hours while she was on shift and his last text had been at 6pm. She knew he would sleep a lot, but she wondered if he would be sleeping for the last 7 hours? She had resisted texting him for fear that he WAS asleep and that she would wake him up.

With that said, she wasn’t getting any rest now. She had her phone set to silent so it didn’t wake anyone up in case he texted her, but that meant she couldn’t resist checking it every few minutes. She and De Leon had another call at 1:45, followed with their last one at 3:30am. By that time, she gave up trying to get any rest, deciding to just stay awake and watch her phone.

At 6:50am, she found Kidd in the locker room. She was well past worrying about Matt and was now bordering on being a nervous wreck. 

“Kidd, are you going home right after shift?”

Kidd returned her friend’s question with a knowing look. It didn’t matter if Brett tried to hide it or not, anyone could see she was worried about Casey. “No, me and Kelly are going to eat breakfast. Why?”

Playing with her watch, Brett decided to ask her friend for a big favor. “Can I borrow your keys and go check on Matt? He was supposed to text me updates, and the last one I got from him was at 6pm.”

A small smile appeared on Matt’s roommates face. She reached into her pocket, pulling out her keys before tossing them to Brett. “Of course. Kelly and I will probably be home by 9:30 or 10, so just leave the keys on the table and ask Matt to lock up for you.” Stella decided to add something, hoping to calm her friend. “I am sure he is just sleeping Brett.”

Brett nodded, taking the keys from her friend. As soon as the clock struck 7am, she practically ran to her car, hoping to get to Matt’s as soon as possible.

_______________________

Using Stella’s key to unlock the loft, the first thing that she noticed was the sound of complete silence. She didn’t hear a TV, a radio, Matt, or anything else. She immediately felt the worry that had been in the pit of her stomach for the last 12 hours start to bubble up. She quickly said a prayer that Casey was okay before gently closing and locking the door behind her. She carefully set her bag down on the table, noticing that Matt’s bedroom door was closed. She felt a sense of dread as she walked towards his bedroom, hoping that he was asleep and she was just overreacting. As she got to his door, she put her hand on the doorknob, turning it as quietly as she could. Once she felt the knob reach its farthest point, she slowly pushed the door open. 

There he was, asleep. At some point, he must have gotten hot, because he was laying on top of both his comforter and sheets. What she saw, though, quickened her pulse to the point she thought her heart might leap out of her chest. There was Matt, sleeping in only a pair of black boxer briefs. She had never seen him without his shirt on, let alone in this stage of undress. She could feel her hands start to get clammy at the sight of him. Taking him in, she could see his muscular legs, both laying in different directions. She admired the sinewy beauty of his chest and arms. His face looked younger in his sleep, as if the rest he was getting let him truly relax for the first time that day. She tried not to look DIRECTLY at his underwear, but failed miserably. She inhaled sharply, taking in the large and VERY noticeable bulge in his shorts.

Standing there for what felt like minutes, but in reality was only seconds, she tried to convince her feet to move out of the room without success. He was gorgeous, and while she felt like she should be ashamed at spying on him like this, her heart couldn’t bring her to feel that way. She was crazy about him BEFORE ever seeing him like this, and nothing she saw changed her opinion on him, only enhancing it.

After a few more moments, Brett closed her eyes, willing herself out into the other room. As soon as she was outside his bedroom, she let out the breath she hadn’t even been aware she was holding. She took a look around the empty apartment, beginning to feel out of place. It was one thing to be here with Matt, but quite another to be here while he was sleeping. She instantly made a promise to herself that she would leave him his gifts and then leave, even though she realized she would be hard pressed to honor it.

Striding back over to the table, she unzipped her bag. She pulled out the three 5X7 pictures in their frames. Since Matt had lost everything, she hoped that what she held might begin to give him a little bit of it back. In her hands, she looked at the three pictures, all taken by the photographer at Joe and Chloe’s wedding. She was proud of her friend for picking out exactly what she wanted without her even having to tell her.

Each of the pictures were perfect and she hoped Matt liked them. The only one she was unsure about was the third one, but she decided while looking at it that it just felt right. She started tiptoeing back toward Matt’s room, holding the pictures in both of her hands. When she got there, she peaked around the corner to make sure Matt was still asleep. With that confirmed, she slowly walked over to where his Chester Drawers sat against the wall. She put the portrait picture of Matt and Kelly on the left. They looked so happy, with their arms around each other, smiling in their tuxes. In the middle, she put the landscape of everyone at 51, all dressed up and happy. On the right-hand side, she put the picture that she was originally hesitant about. It was a picture of her and Matt, taken at the wedding before he escorted her down the aisle. Matt had his arm around her shoulder, while she was leaning into him, her smile beaming to match his. If someone who didn’t know them looked at it, they would probably think they were a couple.

_Maybe one day_ , she thought.

Without thinking, she sat back on the bed, admiring her work. She didn’t even realize what she had done until she felt him stir behind here.

“Morning Sylvie”, Matt said while wiping the sleep out of his eyes. “What were you just doing?”


	12. In the Morning Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Casey has caught Sylvie in his bedroom, what will happen next?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all of you for your continued support of this story! I appreciate all of you reading it, as well as leaving the kudos and comments. Because of all the nice things you all said today, you get chapter 12 TONIGHT instead of tomorrow. Happy reading!

The sound of Matt’s voice frightened her. She quickly turned, seeing Matt propped up on one elbow, still with only his underwear on. She immediately turned back towards the pictures she had just placed, knowing that her entire body had just turned 6 different shades of red.

“Matt” she said, trying to quickly get his mind off of her being in his room. “How are you feeling?” She was frozen in place now, not daring to turn around again.

Casey let out a bit of a chuckle. Sylvie was so cute when she was flustered, and obviously she was VERY flustered right now. “Not great. It felt like I didn’t get any sleep all night.”

Looking up at the ceiling, Brett wished she could be anywhere but where she was currently sitting. It wasn’t like she hadn’t thought about being alone with Matt in his room….but this was definitely NOT anything like she had pictured it. “The last text I got from you was at 6 last night, so I came over to check on you. You had me worried.”

The truth in her words stung him. He had wanted to text her, but had actually been worried about interrupting her if he texted her at 2 in the morning. He reached out, putting his hand on the back on her shoulder. “I’m sorry Sylvie. I definitely had chances to text you last night, but I just didn’t want to interrupt you”. He took a breath before admitting what came next. “I just figured you had more important things to deal with than me texting you all night that I was laying here in bed, still awake.”

As soon as she heard him speak those words, she turned around to face him, lack of clothes be damned. “Matthew Casey…nothing is more important to me than knowing you are all right. Lord knows you have been there enough for me over the last few months. Let me be there for you.”

They sat there for a few moments, each holding the other’s gaze. Finally, Casey let his head fall to the bed, somewhat ashamed that he hadn’t trusted her enough to take her at her word.

“Sylvie, I am really sorry. Honestly. I am just not used to having people like you in my life.”

Her eyebrows raised in confusion, Brett knew she needed to know what he meant. “What do you mean people like me?”

Casey knew he was on a dangerous slope now, having gotten there far quicker than he could have imagined. Part of him wanted to tell her everything. How he felt about her. How amazing she was. He just didn’t know if now was the right time for any of that. Instead he decided to go with the truth, even if it was only a small sliver of it.

“Someone like you, who actually cares what happens to me. I am not talking about someone who asks how I am doing and then doesn’t wait around for the answer. You are different Sylvie. When you ask me how I am doing, I know you genuinely care about hearing my answer.” Matt ran his hand through his hair before he continued. “I haven’t had many people like you in my life. It’s just something I am not used to. Trust me, I like how you are, it’s just taking me some time to get used to how you are versus some of the people in my past. Does that make sense?”

At that point, Brett knew that Matt was partially talking about Gabby. She was definitely the kind of person who would do everything he just said. When he said she was different, it gave her a sense of pride in knowing that, even with all the walls Matt had built up over the years, maybe she was starting to chip away at some of them.

Without stopping to think, Sylvie reached over and pulled Matt into an embrace. She wanted him to know how much his words meant to her. “Thank you Matt. If you haven’t figured out by now, I really do care about what happens to you.”

Casey nodded his affirmation, lost in the feel of her against him. Even though their hug was purely innocent, the fact that it was happening on his bed when he hardly had on any clothes, started to make his blood run hot. 

Brett could feel his strong arms pull her in closer. His bare back felt amazing against her skin, and thoughts of them being together in this bed doing things OTHER than hugging started to creep into her mind. She quickly realized she was reaching the point of no return, so she broke away from his hug. She sat back on the bed, taking him in. He was….just everything to her. She immediately felt the need to get out of his bedroom. “Are you hungry? I could make us breakfast?”

He immediately missed her warmth against his bare skin. Even fully clothed, the heat from her body was almost more than he could take. He quickly shook some lascivious thoughts from his mind before looking back up at her. “Breakfast would be great. But only on one condition. Will you now tell me what you were doing when I woke up?”

Hopping up from the bed, Brett’s smile emerged. “I will start breakfast while you get dressed. Then you can see for yourself.” She practically bounced out of the room she was so happy. She closed the door behind her, heading for the kitchen. As soon as she opened the refrigerator, she stuck her head in, taking in the cool air. It had been months since she last had sex, and to say she was turned on right now would be a massive understatement. Letting the cool air collide with her head and chest, she tried her best to think of ANYTHING else but Matt’s amazing body and how he felt against hers.

_Maybe Foster was on to something when she told me to just jump Matt,_ she wondered

_______________________________

Casey was smiling too. He quickly got out of bed, throwing on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. He walked into his bathroom, brushed his teeth and applied deodorant. He looked at himself in the mirror, willing his body to settle down. Brett was incredibly gorgeous, a fact that wasn’t new to him. Therefore, it was not difficult to understand how his body had reacted to her when she hugged him in his bed. It had been a long time since he had been in an intimate encounter with anyone. The last time was, in fact, when Gabby came back into town, something he now regarded as closure between the two of them. He was sure he could probably have gone out since then and picked up a one night stand, but that wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted Sylvie. If having the chance of her loving him meant he had to remain celibate for a while, that was a price that was definitely worth paying.

As he walked back into his bedroom, he leaned against his dresser to see the pictures she had placed there. The gesture touched his heart, knowing that she thought to do something like that for him. It wasn’t something he would have ever done on his own, but the way they looked on the furniture made it seem like they had been there for years. He gently lifted the one of he and Brett. Seeing the two of them in that photograph only reinforced his belief. She was worth waiting for. She was worth everything. He took the picture and placed it on his nightstand instead of his dresser. _At least this way I can wake up and see her whenever I want to._

Now he was the one wearing a silly grin. He opened his bedroom door and headed towards the kitchen. He was a bit perplexed to see Sylvie, as she had almost the entire upper half of her body in the refrigerator. He silently walked up behind her. He could swear she was mumbling something to herself, but he couldn’t make it out. He reached out, placing his hand on the small of her back.

The feel of his hand startled her, knocking her out of the conversation she was having with herself about running back to Matt’s bedroom and trying to seduce him. She quickly turned to face him, her face wearing her embarrassment.

“Are you okay?” Matt asked with a laugh.

Looking back at him, she attempted to play it off. “I was just trying to figure out what you had that I could make for breakfast.”

Shaking his head slowly, he knew that she wasn’t telling him the truth, but decided to let it go for now. “How about I make you breakfast? I wasn’t the one who just worked for 24 hours straight. How was shift anyway.”

As she started to recount the last 24 hours for him, she felt her exhaustion come creeping back. Matt made them both scrambled eggs and bacon. He handed her a plate, while he took the seat across the table from her. She dove into her food before he had a chance to respond.

“You must be exhausted, not sleeping ANY last shift.” Even without saying it, he could see the exhaustion show on her beautiful face.

Sylvie yawned, now not in control of how heavy her eyes were getting. “I’ll be fine she said,” before yawning again. “I am just going to head home now and sleep.”

Matt knew he was part of the reason she didn’t get any sleep last. He wanted to kick himself for making her worry. Immediately, he decided that if she was going to worry about him, the least he could do was repay her kindness. “No, Sylvie, I am not going to let you drive home with you being as tired as you are. And, since I can’t drive, that means only one thing. You need to go back to my room and rest.”

“But..”, she tried to say.

“No buts, Sylvie. Go back and take my bed. You look like you’re going to fall asleep any minute”, he replied, trying to use his friendliest Captain voice.

She wanted to argue with him, but right now she didn’t have the strength. She WAS exhausted. She wouldn’t admit it to him, but part of her tiredness came from worrying if he was okay all night. However, if he hadn’t slept either, when was he going to rest?

“I will go back and take a nap on one condition.” She stated.

Casey looked at her, his face softening. “What might that condition be Miss Brett?”

She took a quick breath. “Well, if you didn’t sleep either, then I know you are just as tired as I am. Why don’t we BOTH go back and take a nap?”

Casey smiled at her. Leave it to Sylvie to take his attempt to watch out for her, and turn it around to her taking care of him. He wanted to protest, but inside his head he knew he was just as exhausted as she was. Also, he wasn’t sure he could skip a chance to sleep with Sylvie…even if all they were going to do was sleep.

“Deal”, he replied, holding out his hand for her to shake in agreement. She took his hand, returning the shake, her smile not once leaving her face.

“You go ahead Sylvie. I will clean up and be there in a few minutes.”

She turned and started to walk towards his bedroom. She had no idea where she had found the courage to ask him that, but she was beyond pleased that he accepted. At this point, she was running on fumes, but for some reason she knew that if the presence of Matt helped her to sleep in the hospital, it could only be better with them both lying in the same bed.

Once she got to the room, she closed the door. She thought about sleeping in her clothes, but quickly nixed that idea. _Even if we are just going to sleep, I at least want him to think I look good doing it._ She opened his drawers as quietly as possible, on a quest to find the right thing. In the second drawer she found it. An old blue CFD t-shirt that had remnants of paint on it. She went to the other side of the bed, quickly discarding her jeans, shoes and socks. She debated for a second, but decided to take her bra off too. She pulled Matt’s t-shirt over her head, pleased that it came down to about the middle of her thigh. She pulled back the covers on the right side of the bed, wondering why she wasn’t petrified of any of this. In a moment of clarity, she decided that if exhaustion lowered her inhibitions like this, maybe she should work all night more often.

Fluffing up the pillow, she tried to get comfortable. She could smell his natural scent, the same one she smelled when she hugged him this morning, on his sheets. She pulled the sheets up to her neck, working herself further down into the mattress. When she looked to see what time it was, she saw that he had moved the picture of the two of them from the dresser to his night stand. Her heart swelled at the pride she felt, knowing that it looked like he liked her gift. For a second, she wondered if she was being too pushy with everything that had happened today, but quickly pushed that thought out of her head. Instead she closed her eyes, dreaming about the possibility that one day, sleeping in Matt Casey’s bed wouldn’t be something she thought twice about.


	13. In Matt's Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As exhaustion falls over Matt and Sylvie, can taking a nap together mean just that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your support of my little fan fic! We are nearing 3000 hits and already have over 150 comments. I hope you like the next installment. I will go ahead and warn you all that that rating over the next 4-7 chapters will move up to mature. Just wanted to give everyone advance warning. Hope you enjoy chapter 13!

About fifteen minutes later, after Casey was finished cleaning up the table and the kitchen, he headed towards his bedroom. His exhaustion was catching up with him too, and he knew he needed to rest as much as Sylvie. Part of him thought he should be nervous about sleeping in same bed as the woman he had feelings for, but strangely he had none. Maybe it was because of how close of friends they had become.

He tried to open the bedroom door as quietly as possible. What he saw took his breath away. There was Sylvie, already asleep, scrunched over to the right side of his bed. He immediately knew she had on his old CFS shirt, as he could the “MC” initials that he had gotten stenciled onto the sleeve of it. Her blonde hair was sprayed across the pillow, and for a moment, he just stood there taking her in. He had known he had feelings for her for a while now, but seeing her this way, relaxed and asleep in his bed, caused him to realize his feelings ran much deeper than he thought.

Moving as quietly as he could, he walked to the left side of the bed. For a second, he considered taking his shirt off, but ended up deciding to leave it on. If the way she had gotten flustered this morning was any indication, she might not be ready for him to be lying beside her shirtless. Climbing into bed, he tried to get settled without waking her. As soon as his head hit his pillow, he could feel the hours of no sleep catching up with him. He took one more look at her, trying to make sure he captured the image of her in his heart, before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.

Roughly 30 minutes later, Brett rolled over, back towards the middle of the bed. Lost in her sleep, she didn’t think twice when she felt something warm against her back. Knowing it felt good, she snuggled back against it.

Casey, still trying to catch up on all the sleep he missed, felt something against his chest. In his dream, it was Sylvie, lying next to him. He put his arm around her waist, pulling her into him. _This is nice,_ he thought, _even if it is just a dream_.

An hour later, Sylvie woke up, needing to go to the bathroom. She immediately felt Matt’s arm around her waist. The heat from his body behind hers was amazing. She could also feel his erection pressed against her butt. She turned slightly to see if he was awake. He looked the same way as he had this morning when she had first come in. Childlike and in complete relaxation. She cursed herself for having to get up, especially when he was holding her like this, but she didn’t have any choice. She moved out of his embrace and scooted to the side of the bed. Trying not to wake him, she stood up and walked around the bed and headed to the bathroom.

Matt’s eyes opened at the loss of feeling against his chest. He saw her get out of bed, wearing nothing but his shirt. He groaned internally at the sight of her. He already knew he was turned on, based on the dream he was having about her, and seeing her like this wasn’t going to help him in calming back down. He closed his eyes again, hoping that she didn’t notice him watching her.

A few minutes later, Brett returned to bed, assuming the exact same spot she had before she got up. Matt immediately put his arm around her waist, pulling her back against him. Smiling, she wondered if she had woken him when she got up. Whether she did or not, she knew that right then, there was no other place she wanted to be.

He could smell the floral aroma of her shampoo as she laid beside him. At this point, he was having to concentrate with every ounce of his being, instructing his hand to not roam across her body. He smiled, a piece of him imaging having her like this every day. As he drifted back off to sleep, that was the only thing on his mind.

______________________

About 11:30am, Brett began to stir. At some point while they slept, Matt had rolled onto his back, with her following his lead. She now had her head on his chest, her arm draped over his waist. Even with his t-shirt on, she could feel his warmth radiating off of him. She felt at home, something she hadn’t felt a lot recently. She considered lying there for a while, but her stomach was starting to growl. She titled her head up to see if Matt was awake, only to find him staring at her.

Embarrassed, she asked him, “How long have you been looking at me?”

His smile came easy at her words. “Not long. Did you sleep okay?”

She rolled over to lay on her back, her arms stretching out above her. “Yes, I did. That’s the best I have slept in a long time. How about you?”

He immediately missed the feel of her body against him. He thought about pulling her back to him, but decided against it. “Me too. You getting hungry?"

She nodded her head in agreement. “Why don’t you go on out? I have got to get dressed again.”

Feigning ignorance, Matt tried to put on his best surprised face. “Oh. I didn’t know you weren’t still dressed”, he lied. Having rolled off the bed, Casey walked towards the closed door to his bedroom. Right after he opened it and was about to step outside, he threw one last remark back at her. “By the way Sylvie, my shirt looks a lot better on you than me.”

______________________

As soon as Casey closed the door to his bedroom, he was accosted by Kidd and Severide. 

“Is Brett in there with you?” Kidd asked, not attempting to hide her meddling.

Shaking his head slowly, Matt took a breath. He tried his best not to smile, but failed miserably. “We were just taking a nap. We were both exhausted this morning.”

Kelly patted Casey’s shoulder. Not able to hide his smirk, Kelly asked, “So, is exhaustion what you young people are calling it these days. Huh, didn’t know that?”

Even though he knew his friends meant well, the last thing he wanted was a rumor to start around 51 that he and Sylvie had slept together. “Like I said you two, we honestly just slept.” Casey then headed over towards the kitchen, leaving his roommates to compare notes between themselves.

About this time, Brett emerged from Casey’s bedroom. At the sight of Stella and Kelly standing there looking at her, she felt her checks blush. “Morning you two?”, she said, trying to act as nonchalantly as possible. “What’s for lunch?”

Brett quickly walked over to where Matt was standing in the kitchen, leaving Kidd and Severide standing there, dumbfounded. “You see why I like to have my own place?”, Casey whispered to the beautiful PIC. 

“Yeah, I am starting to think that maybe having an apartment to myself may not be as bad an idea as I first thought.”, Brett replied.

They sat there, gazing into each other’s eyes, not knowing what to do next. In their hearts, they both knew that what had just happened in Casey’s room strained any normal definition of friendship. Still, they both were happy in the knowledge that neither one of them were freaking out about it. The entire morning had just felt natural, easy even. Like them spending all morning cuddled up in bed together was something they did all the time.

“Why don’t I cook everyone some chicken alfredo?” Matt announced, trying to break the tension.

_____________________


	14. A Great Day?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt makes lunch for Sylvie, Severide, and Kidd. Will the amazing start to the day they have had continue?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 14! I wanted to get this up for you all. I hope you enjoy it! As always, I am overwhelmed by your comments and kudos. You all definitely make sharing this story worth while. It might be Sunday before I can get Chapter 15 up, but will post it as soon as I can.

About 45 minutes later, Casey laid a large bowel of chicken alfredo out for them all to share. Brett, who was bored watching Casey cook alone, had prepared a salad for them. The 4 of them took their seats around the table. 

Sylvie got her plate first. She had never really eaten any of Matt’s cooking. Supposedly, he had been responsible for cooking at 51 before he got his promotions, so he now only cooked on special occasions. Occasions she had not been able to be a part of yet. She took a bite of the noodles, moaning at the amazing taste she was savoring.

“Matt”, she raved. “This might be the best thing I have ever tasted!”

Smiling, Casey felt his chest puff out at her words. He needed, however, something to distract him for the moan she had just made. He could already feel his body reacting to the sound she had uttered. “Thanks. I am glad you like it.”

Sitting across the table from them, Severide and Kidd shared a knowing look. They had been fortunate enough to eat Casey’s cooking since he lived with them. What had them glancing at each other was Brett calling Casey by his first name. Neither one of them cared what their friends said. They both knew something was starting to happen between the two of them. The rest of the lunch was fun and easy, with plenty of laughs and stories to keep Matt distracted from how Sylvie looked when she moaned.

Since Casey and Brett had cooked, Kidd and Severide cleaned up the meal. Casey went over and took a seat on the couch with Sylvie joining him. She looked at her watch, seeing that it was now past 1pm. 

“I guess I better head back to my place now.”, she stated, not terribly enthused at the idea.

Casey’s face fell at her words. He didn’t want her to go. If he was being honest with himself, he never wanted her to leave his side again. He knew that was being unreasonable, but that was how he felt. Besides, his head had started to hurt again and he knew it would only get worse if she left. Something about her calmed him.

She could see his disappointment at her words. She didn’t want to leave, but she couldn’t just stay here with him forever. _On second thought, I kind of like that idea._ What worried her more was how his eyes were squinting, like he was having trouble with the bright lights again.

Casey rubbed his forehead with his head. “Sylvie, if you need to head home, I will understand. But if I am being honest, I really don’t want you to go. This morning has been one of the best I have had in a while.” He hoped his honesty didn’t scare her away. It seemed like they were in some state of limbo between being friends and becoming more. He didn’t like this place, but he would stay in whatever lane kept him in Sylvie’s life.

Having scooted over to the edge of the couch, she looked at Matt. She was touched that he had actually told her what he wanted. She knew that Casey could sometimes be a man of few words, so him expressing his desire to spend more time with her was the only sign she needed. “Of course I will stay. Come here and lay your head in my lap. Maybe if I massage your temples it will help your headache go away?”

A small smile reappeared on his face as he laid his head in her lap, his eyes looking up at her. _How did I never notice how beautiful she is,_ he asked himself?

Sylvie took her pointer and middle finger from both of her hands, pressing them to each of his temples. She slowly started to move them in circles, applying a little pressure. Casey’s eyes immediately closed at the exquisite feeling. He tried to hold it back, but a moan escaped his lips anyway.

Looking down at him, Brett could feel her breath catch in her throat. _He is gorgeous_ , she thought. He had been there for her all year, so it felt good to be there for him today. When he moaned, she felt a stirring deep within her. She was not sure she had ever resisted a stronger urge than she was fighting right now. The only thing she wanted to do was to bend over and kiss him. She continued to massage the sides of his head, his eyes still closed. _Well, if I can’t kiss his lips, maybe I can at least kiss his forehead?_ She wondered if that would be too far outside of the friend zone, before quickly noting that the way they had slept together earlier already was. With that decided, she bent down, and pressed her lips to his forehead. She let them linger slightly, before sitting back up. She could feel her heart beat increase at the intimacy of her act, holding her breath to see what his reaction would be.

Casey had just drifted off to sleep when he felt something warm and wet against his forehead. He knew that whatever it was felt amazing, but he was too tired to open his eyes to see what it was. Instead, he simply smiled to himself, letting himself fall deeper and deeper into sleep.

________________________

When Casey woke up an hour later, his head was still in Sylvie’s lap. She was running her fingernails threw his hair while talking to Kidd and Severide. They were watching some reality show on television. Casey thought about getting up, but laying there just felt too good. Instead, he looked up at Brett.

“Thank you. Whatever you did helped my headache a lot.”, he said, smiling up at her.

She looked down at the peaceful expression on his face. “Of course. I’m glad you were able to rest.”

Matt rolled over to face the television, determined not to leave this spot, or remove her hands from his hair, until he had to. He tried to follow the conversation the three of them had started about the show. However, waking up late had left him out of what was happening. He tried to catch up with what he was watching, some inane cooking show where everyone just yelled at each other, but quickly lost interest. _I will act interested if it keeps me right where I am,_ he thought.

He glanced over at Kelly who was looking at how close he and Brett were. Severide was shaking his head at him, obviously thinking he knew something that Casey didn’t. Matt mouthed the word “stop” to his friend, knowing without a doubt that he would be hearing all about it when they were alone together.

_________________________

Later that evening, they all decided to order pizza. Sylvie had been with him since early this morning, and her presence made him feel like they spent entire days together all the time. He knew she was off again tomorrow and was anticipating her leaving after dinner. He made a promise to himself not to let her leave until he had told her he wanted her to stay.

They ate dinner just like they had eaten lunch. Laughs and stories flowed easy between the friends, with Sylvie feeling entirely at home with them, even though she was well aware this wasn’t her home. She didn’t want to leave, but she needed to pack more and try to find another place to live. She was cutting it close from a timing standpoint, but for today, her heart wasn’t in it. Her heart was telling her to stay here until Matt kicked her out. 

After they ate, they started up the reality show marathon again. Casey had caught up, somewhat, and was at least able to make comments about the various characters. Around 8:30pm, Kidd and Severide retired to his bedroom, under the guise of watching a movie. He would have bet all the money in his wallet that this was there attempt to leave he and Sylvie alone together.

He turned to look at her, finding her already looking at him. She was chewing on her lip, obviously thinking about something. He reached out and patted her knee. 

“What has got you lost in your thoughts?”

Her eyes focused on him, a small smile forming on her face. She was still somewhat scared to tell him what she really wanted, so she decided to play it safe. “I was just thinking that I probably need to head home.” She tried to gauge his reaction to her words. She thought he looked disappointed, but she knew sometimes it was hard to read Matt. “I still need to do some packing and find another place to live.”

Nodding, he didn’t move his gaze off of her face. He took a deep breath, trying to find the courage to ask her. To ask her what he wanted…at least what he wanted right now. “I understand Sylvie. If you need to go, I completely understand. However, I want you to know, that I really wish you could stay.”

Her smile grew at his request. She wanted nothing more to be wrapped up in his arms asleep, just like they were this morning. She didn’t want to make any assumptions, so she tried to feel out what he wanted. “Yes, Matt, I would love to stay. Do you want me to sleep out here on the couch?”

Confusion creased his brow. Why would she think that? Is that what she wanted? Would that make her feel more comfortable? Knowing he had already put himself out there once, he decided to go ahead and walk to the end of the line. “If you want to, you can sleep out here.”, Matt replied quickly. “What I would really like is to cuddle with you in my bed like we did this morning.”

That was all she needed to hear. “That would be great Matt.” She knew she didn’t have everything she needed to spend the night, but she figured she could make due with what he had and the items she had in her bag. “Do you mind if I take a shower? I didn’t get one before I left the station this morning.”

“Definitely.”, he answered, happy to know that she would be back in his arms soon. “Use whatever of mine you need in the bathroom. There are clean towels in the cabinet.”

She nodded, got up and started to head towards his bathroom. “Matt?”, she called over her shoulder. “I will come back and let you know when I am finished.”

He smiled at her words. Once she was in his bedroom with the door closed, he leaned his head back against the couch. Thinking of her in the shower was definitely not going to help him calm down before they got to bed. He took several deep breaths, trying to convince his mind not to picture her in his shower. He got up and walked to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water before taking his medicine. He hadn’t wanted to admit to her today just how bad his head had been hurting. He just didn’t want to pass up the chance to spend the day with her like they had. After he washed the pill down his throat, he prayed that he would be okay by his Friday Neurologist visit. Because as of now, he wasn’t sure that his doc would clear him to go back to work.

__________________________

20 minutes later, Brett came back out into the living area. Her hair was still damp, and she was in nothing but his t-shirt again. Luckily, he was across the room from her, so she didn’t hear him when he literally groaned at the sight of her. He wasn’t sure how he was going to keep still tonight, knowing that she looked as sexy as she did now, but he knew he had to find a way.

She got into bed, propping herself up against the headboard. She had a book in her bag and started back up with where her bookmark was placed. He told her that he was going to take a shower, making sure to bring the clothes he was going to sleep in with him into the bathroom. He debated again about wearing a t-shirt, and erred on the side of caution, taking his shorts and a fresh pair of boxer briefs with him into the room.

The water felt amazing on his skin. He started humming, forgetting he wasn’t alone. On the other side of the door, Sylvie’s smile returned, listening to Matt. She was trying to read, but her mind kept getting lost on how the body that she had seen this morning looked in the shower. She balled up her hands, hitting the mattress on each side of her leg. _Get it together Sylvie,_ she admonished herself. She was deep in thought, wondering if this was a mistake, when Matt came out of the bedroom. He wore the same thing he had earlier when they slept, a fact she was grateful for. She was worried if he came to bed in only his underwear if she would be able to resist attacking him in the middle of the night.

He crawled into bed, getting comfortable. He was on his side, facing her, just watching her read.

“Do you want me to turn out the light?”, she asked.

He shook his head no, but continued to look at her. “Just so you know Sylvie, wet hair is definitely a good look for you.”

She laughed at his words, trying to keep a mental checklist of everything he liked in case they ever did become more than friends. She turned her attention back to her book, determined to stop reading the same paragraph over and over.

She read for about an hour more. When she glanced over at him, he was already asleep. She reached over him and turned off the nightlight. The VERY long last 36 hours she had endured was catching up with her. Conflicted, she debated if she should snuggle back up to him. Her problem was solved when she felt his arm reach around her waist, pulling her body back towards him.

“Night Sylvie”, he muttered, half asleep.

“Goodnight Matt”, she replied. She fell asleep thinking how much things had changed over the last day.

____________________________

She was in the middle of a great dream. Matt and her were living together in their own place, snuggled up just like they were now. They were both extremely happy with each other and life in general. All of the sudden, something happened in her dream. It felt like an earthquake, with everything around her shaking. She thought it was strange, because they didn’t get earthquakes in Chicago. She felt the terrible shaking start to pull her out of her dream. She tried to hold onto Matt, and the life they were living, but the shaking kept pulling her further and further away.

She woke up, upset at losing what she and Matt were in her dream. All of the sudden, her eyes flew open, realizing it was Matt who was shaking. She jumped up reaching for the light. What the light hit made her blood run cold. Matt was having a seizure. She quickly pulled him onto his side.

“KKKIIIDDDD! SSSEEEVVVERRIIIDDEEE! HELP ME!”


	15. Back at Med

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brett was woken by Casey's seizure. Will Matt be okay, or will Sylvie have to deal loss all over again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for taking this journey with me. I hope you are enjoying reading this story as much as I have been writing it. Here is Chapter 15. Please keep the comments coming! I try to reply to everyone who takes the time to write something. Your words mean the world to me! Enjoy!

Severide barged through the door a few moments later, with Kidd close on his heels. He didn’t need to ask what had happened, as Casey was still in the throws of his seizure. 

“Stella, call 911” he yelled over her shoulder. Kidd turned back, running towards her phone that was still in their bedroom. 

Kelly could see Brett was distraught. She was holding him up on his side, tears flowing down her cheeks. She looked back at Severide, her voice cracking as she got out the words.

“We were asleep when it started”, she told him. “He said his head was hurting him earlier today, but nothing since then.”

Taking her place in holding up Matt, Severide told her to go get dressed. He knew that the ambulance would be there quickly and he wanted Brett to ride in it with Casey. The violent movements of his roommate’s body were starting to slow.

“They should be here any time” Stella announced to everyone as she came back into the room. She was already dressed, well aware of the fact that they would be heading to the hospital. Brett came back into Matt’s bedroom after changing in his bathroom. She took Severide’s place so that he could go get dressed in something other than the shorts and t-shirt he had on. Kidd left the bedroom to go downstairs and wait for the paramedics to arrive.

Casey’s seizure was over, as he laid there still not awake. Brett placed her fingers on his neck, checking his pulse. She wanted to make sure nothing else was going on with him. “Matt, I need you…so much”, she told him through her tears. “We are going to get you back to the hospital now. When you get out again, I am not letting you out of my sight.” She knew Casey couldn’t hear her, but it helped her to tell him what she wanted.

She heard the sounds of the paramedics coming into the loft. The two of them, clad in the same blue CFD uniform that Brett normally wore, came over to Casey and took over.

She gave them the situation. “39 year old male. History of head injuries. Was struck in the back of the head 4 nights ago. Checked out by Chicago Med ER and released 3 days ago.”

“Okay” the Paramedic in Charge of Station 21 replied. “We got it Brett. Roberts, let’s get him on the backboard.”

Retreating back to the living area, she felt Kidd’s arms wrap around her chest from behind. “He is going to be okay Sylvie. I just know it.”

Brett wanted to remind her that she had said almost the same thing to her Thursday night at Molly’s. A few minutes later, they had Matt ready for transport.

“Can I ride with you in the ambo?” Brett asked.

Roberts shook her head. “Why don’t you just meet us there?”

She thought of pushing the issue with her fellow paramedic, but decided to let it go. She went downstairs and got into the back of Severide’s car. She knew the way Kelly drove they would probably beat the ambulance there. The entire way there, Brett remembered that just a few days ago, she was in the exact same place. She quickly decided that if she never rode in the back of Severide’s car again it would be fine with her.

___________________

The three of them walked into the ER a few minutes after Casey had been taken back. Having already gone through this once, they all sat down and waited. Kelly texted the Chief again with news on what was happening, letting him know that he would update him once he spoke to the doctor.

They waited in silence, each one lost in their own thoughts. For some reason they were all calmer this time than the last, but they each knew that they had no right to be. Casey having a seizure was a symptom of something else that was going on in his body. The key was what that thing was. 

Brett knew she was praying harder than she ever had before. She even texted her parents, asking them to initiate the Fowlerton Prayer Tree at their church. She left out exactly what Matt meant to her, not wanting to have to explain to her parents the conflicted feelings she was having about him. All she knew was that he had to be alright. She felt like they had finally started moving forward, together, towards something special. She also knew that if she lost him too, on top of all the loss she had already experienced, she wasn’t sure how she would ever be able to function again.

_____________________

Almost 2 hours later, Dr. Will Halstead came out to the waiting room. Knowing Casey, he didn’t bother calling out for a family, and instead walked straight over to the three members of 51 who were in the room, huddled together. Will pulled up a chair and took a seat in front of them. He wanted to tell all of them the news at the same time. 

Making sure to catch all three of their gazes before he started, he waited for Brett to finally look up at him. When she did, he started.

“Well, we think the reason that Casey had a seizure tonight is due to hematoma that has developed on the lower back right of his brain.”

Kidd and Severide both turned to Brett, waiting for her to translate this news into something that they could understand. Through her tears, Sylvie explained. “It means that Matt has bleeding on his brain…”, was all she could get out, before her sobs racked her body. Kidd put her arm around her friend’s shoulder. Severide put his hand over his mouth, not sure if he even wanted to hear anything after that.

Continuing on, Halstead added, “Exactly Brett.” He took a deep breath before resuming. “None of this showed on the CT he got when came in the other night, which means it must have been so small we didn’t pick it up. Now, it’s very easy to pick up.”

Kelly ran his hand through his hair. He needed to know what was going to happen to Casey. They had been through far too much for him to be taken out like this. If something was going to kill Casey, it wasn’t going to be a kid with a stool. It was going to be a fire, after he saved 50 people so he would be known the world over for the hero he already was. But not this.

“Is he going to be okay Doc?”. Severide hoped he could handle the answer.

Halstead looked down at the floor. “He should be yes.” He didn’t want to lie to them, but he also wanted to give them hope. “His neurologist has been paged and we will know more about next steps then. We might be able to treat this with diuretics or corticosteroids. But if those don’t work, you need to know we might have to operate.”

At those words, Brett ran over to the trash can, vomiting everything that was in her stomach. She slumped down to her knees, holding onto the trash can for support. Kidd was behind her in an instant. She knelt down, holding her friend, offering reassuring words. Severide, on the other hand, stared off into space, lost in the seriousness of the diagnosis.

_____________________

It was well past midnight, when Halstead came back out, telling them that Casey was awake. Since his last update, they had run even more tests on him, confirming Halstead’s suspicions. They all wanted to see him, but were only allowed after agreeing with Will that it would be for only a few minutes, and then they ALL had to go home and come back the next morning. 

The three of them walked towards his room like they were walking on eggshells. Kelly pulled open the door to his room, noticing Casey was resting, flat on his side. He quickly walked over to the hospital bed, Kidd right behind him. Brett wasn’t sure she could even get in the door. She kept flashing back to Thursday night, knowing that Casey was AGAIN in the hospital only because he was watching out for her.

“Hey man, how you feeling?” Severide asked.

“Okay….just a little off”, Matt replied, his eyes focused on Sylvie standing at the door. Severide’s eyes followed Casey’s over to Brett. “Okay Casey. We just wanted to check on you. Will is forcing us to go home, but we wanted to see you first. We will be back first thing in the morning.”

Kidd patted Casey’s shoulder, smiling at him. “Get some rest Captain.”

Nodding at the encouragement, Casey winced at the effort. Severide took Kidd’s hand as they walked out of the room. Kidd patted her friend’s shoulder before encouraging her. 

“Go see him Brett.”

Sylvie walked gingerly to Matt’s side. She took his hand as she looked at him. He could see she had been crying. He knew she would want to be there for him, but he wasn’t going to let that happen again.

“Sylvie, I want you to listen to me”, he said, trying to talk around his dry mouth. “You stayed with me all night the last time I was here, but I want you to go home and get some rest. Stay in my room.”

She looked at him, not understanding what he was saying. She wasn’t going to leave his side. She hadn’t before, and she wasn’t going to now. She was about to protest when he added something more.

“Don’t even try to argue with me”, he said, a small smile forming on his lips. “According to Dr. Halstead, I am probably going to be here for a few days. Just promise me you will wait until tomorrow to come see me…and also that you will get some rest.”

She nodded her reply. She stood up, pressing a quick kiss to his forehead. “I will go Matt, but then you have to promise me one thing.”

“What is that?’, he asked.

“That you never, and I mean never, scare me like this again.” Her eyes started to shine again. He just took her face in. If something did happen to him, he wanted the vision of her to be the last thing he saw.”

“I promise. Now go get some rest and I will see you tomorrow.”

Turning to catch up with Stella and Kelly, Brett looked back one more time before she left to take him in. He was already asleep. She made a promise to herself right then that when he got out of the hospital, she was going to tell him how she felt.

____________________________


	16. An Unexpected Visitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Casey back at Med, he comes face to face with his past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 16. I always appreciate your comments and kudos. I hope you enjoy this "bonus" chapter, as I didn't think I would get it up until tomorrow night. That means you get Chapter 16 today AND Chapter 17 tomorrow. Hope you enjoy!

The next morning, Casey woke to the warmth of his hand in another’s. He stretched before opening his eyes, savoring the feeling. He had dreamed about Sylvie all night, so it would be good to see her this morning. When he opened his eyes, though, he was shocked to find that it wasn’t Sylvie holding his hand.

“Gabby?”, Casey asked, his confusion etched on his face. He pulled his hand away from hers. “What are you doing here?” He hoped he was in the midst of a nightmare, but somewhere down deep in the pit of his stomach he knew that the sight of his ex-wife was real.

“Hey Matt”, she replied. “Hermann texted me Thursday night that you were in the hospital. It took me a couple of days to get a flight here. When I got off the plane this morning, he had texted me again to tell me you were back in the hospital. I came right here from the airport.”

Feeling his anger rising within him, Casey tried to stay calm. He knew the last thing that he needed right now was to get upset, especially until he saw his Neurologist this morning. There was just something about Gabby, though, walking back into his life like she had any right to whatsoever, that made his blood boil.

“Gabby, you can’t be…”. That was all he got out before his neurologist came in. He had wanted to tell her to leave, but it would have to wait. This meeting with his doctor was too important to not pay attention to.

_________________________

Brett was walking down the hall towards Matt’s room, anxious to see him. She truly hadn’t wanted to leave him last night, but she didn’t have much of a choice when both Matt AND Dr. Halstead told her she had to go. She knew that Casey was only looking out for her though. She felt her smile widen on her face. That’s the way he always was with her. Trying to protect her and to be there for her. She had actually slept well in Matt’s bed, a fact she figured had something to do with her being able to smell him on his pillows. _That is all it takes to make me feel better,_ she thought, amazed at the fact. _Just to be able to smell him on his sheets._

As she got closer to his door, she could hear that his doctor was with him. She sped up, wanting to hear what she had to say, but stopped in her tracks when she heard another woman’s voice in the room. A voice that she recognized immediately. She felt her blood run cold at the thought of Gabby, not only back in Chicago, but also in Matt’s room. She could feel her tears start to pool in her eyes. _Of course, he would want Gabby back, she was his wife_. None of this felt right anymore. It was almost like the past several days they had spent together were nothing but a dream she had. If that was the case, then this was definitely a nightmare. She turned away from his door and walked as quickly as she could towards the exit of the hospital.

_________________________

“So, even if this hematoma is treatable with medicine, you don’t actually believe he needs to return to work at the CFD, do you?’, Gabby asked. Even though it had been months since she had seen or talked to Casey, she knew this might be the one event that could help her to convince him to come back to Puerto Rico with her.

Dr. Kinlaw, Casey’s Neurologist, wasn’t exactly sure who this woman was. By the look on the face of her patient, he definitely wasn’t appreciating her speaking on his behalf.

“No.”, the doctor replied evenly. “If the medicine is effective, I don’t see any reason why Captain Casey can’t return to work in the field.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Casey could see Gabby about to start a tirade. It was what she would always do when she couldn’t get her way. She had done the same thing when they were married. He cursed himself for having let her control so many things when they were together. In an instant, he decided that it stopped right now.

“Excuse me, Doc, do you mind if I have a moment with my, um, friend?”, Casey asked, trying his best to control his temper.

The doctor looked between both of them before nodding, then retreated from the room.

“Matt, you can’t possibly…”. That was all she got out before Casey laid into her.

“YOU DO NOT TELL ME WHAT TO DO GABBY!”, he yelled. “What are you even doing here? You divorced ME, remember?”

His words knocked her on her heels. It was rare for Casey to speak to her like this. “I just don’t want you to get hurt again Matt, or worse yet die. Why don’t you come back to Puerto Rico with me where you will be safe?”

Casey threw his feet off the side of the bed so that he could look directly at her. “Gabby, I am not going anywhere with you. My life is in Chicago. You knew that when we met. Besides, you keep forgetting a simple truth. I don’t love you anymore.”

Matt’s words stung Gabby. As was her nature, she decided to fire back at him. “Well, Casey, if you don’t love me, then why did you spend the night with me in my hotel room the last time I was here?”

He looked at her, trying to even his breathing. He had loved Gabby once, and he imagined a part of him always would. Even with that said, he was not getting back together with her. He had moved on, and he wanted a different relationship than the one they had. He wanted a true partner. He wanted to be there for someone, but to also know that they were there for him. Always. 

He wanted Sylvie.

He took a deep breath before speaking again. “Gabby, the last time we saw each other was closure. I’m sorry if you didn’t feel the same way. I am not going back to Puerto Rico, and even if you decided to stay here in Chicago, we wouldn’t get back together. I am different than I was when we were together. I want more out of my partner than you are capable of giving me.”

His words hit her forcefully, causing her to walk backwards away from him until her back was against the wall. When he was done, she grabbed her pocketbook and jacket and walked towards the door. Right before she left, she added one last thing.

“Screw you Matt. You know I am the best thing that ever happened to your pathetic, lonely life. It won’t be today, but I know that sometime in the future you are going to want me back. When that time comes, don’t even bother calling me, because I won’t answer.” With that she walked out of his room and out of his life for good.

Dr. Kinlaw came back in. She looked at her patient, expecting him to be upset. She had heard the entire conversation. Surprisingly, Mr. Casey was fine.

“I’m sorry about that Doc. So, tell me, what you were saying about the medicine again?”

______________________________

Around 11:30am, Severide and Kidd stopped by to visit him. Even with all that was going on, Casey felt a huge weight off of his shoulders with the whole Gabby situation settled. He knew exactly what he wanted now, determined to tell her the first chance he got.

The three of them talked about his visit with his doctor this morning. Casey left out the part about Gabby visiting, knowing that Severide would want to call her and tell her off. They chatted about everything and nothing for the next 30 minutes. Right before they left, Matt asked the question that had been on his mind all morning.

“Hey Kelly, how is Sylvie doing?”

Confusion clouded Severide’s face. “What do you mean Case? She left the loft really early this morning to come visit you.”


	17. The Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After hearing Gabby in Matt's hospital room, what will Brett do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 17! Because you all have been so generous with your comments, kudos, and hits, you get a MUCH longer chapter than normal! I hope you enjoy it!

After Stella and Kelly left, Matt laid there, thinking about Sylvie. Had she come by the hospital this morning when Gabby was there? If so, why didn’t she stay? He prayed that Gabby didn’t screw up the momentum that he and Sylvie had seemed to be making. 

Luckily, Casey was kept busy for the majority of the day with visitors. The Chief came by to see him a little after lunch. Hermann and Cindy had come by sometime in the early afternoon. Casey had asked Cindy to give he and his Lieutenant a moment alone. Casey had told Hermann that, while he appreciated him letting Gabby know that he was hurt, any further conversations with Gabby about him was to cease immediately. He knew that Gabby and Hermann were friends, so he expected that they would keep communicating with each other. He just knew that his name had to remain out of it from now on.

After the Hermann’s, Gallo and Violet came to see him, followed shortly by Chloe and Cruz. While he appreciated them checking in on him, the only person he really wanted to see was Sylvie. Knowing that she had shift the next day, he texted her around 7:30pm, right after the Cruz’s left.

Matt: Hey, I just wanted to know that I missed seeing you today. Hope you had a good day.

For the rest of the night, Casey found himself checking his phone every few minutes, praying that she would text him back. He thought about calling her, but decided not to. He knew from the other day that she was stressed out about having to move, and knowing her the way he did, he imagined that she was packing everything up in anticipation. Still, as much as he tried to find excuses as to why she hadn’t come to visit him, his heart sank at the only one that made any sense.

She had come to the hospital when Gabby was there and left because she thought they were back together.

_____________________

Across town, Sylvie read the text Matt had sent. She wasn’t sure what kind of game he was playing, but if Gabby was back in his life than she knew she needed to distance herself from him. Gabby had been her friend too, once upon a time, but years of no contact had severed that relationship. 

She had no idea how she was going to distance herself from him, though. In truth, she was already too far gone to NOT admit she had feelings for him. But just like everything else that had gone wrong for her in the last year, she knew she shouldn’t have been surprised that she would lose Matt too. Maybe one day, sometime in the future, they could be friends again, but it wouldn’t be now.

Her tears had flowed on and off all day. _How in the world am I going to work with him for 24 straight hours if he is with her,_ she wondered? Part of her wanted to take tomorrow off, but she ultimately decided she might need some furlough saved up when he came back to work. In her heart, she had promised herself to never leave 51 again after she came back from Kyle and Fowlerton. Unfortunately, she knew that it might come to that, as her heart was already breaking and she hadn’t even seen the two of them together yet.

________________________

That night, neither one of them slept well. They both tossed and turned, thoughts about the other forcing their way into their respective minds. At 3am, Casey considered calling her. She had one time told him that her phone would always be on for him, even at that time. He got as far as pulling her up in his text chain, his finger hovering above the call button, before he changed his mind. He knew she was on shift tomorrow and he didn’t want her to be too tired to do her job safely. He wasn’t sure what he would do if anything bad happened to her. He needed her too much. He tried to reason with himself that nothing was wrong, but he knew he was lying to himself. At 4am, he promised himself that he would wait down in the ER tomorrow during her shift if it meant seeing her. With that decided, his eyes closed and he drifted off to sleep.

When Sylvie’s alarm went off, she was already up. She was finishing her 2nd cup of coffee, trying to find something to get her motivated. All she wanted to do was stay buried underneath her covers all day and cry. She might have gotten a total of 2 hours sleep last night and she was already afraid what fresh hell the next 24 hours would bring her.

After she dressed, she drove to the station, trying to think of anything besides Matt. She had decided last night, sometime about 2:30am, that when shift was over tomorrow morning, she was going to drive back home to Fowlerton. She hadn’t been home in a few months, so maybe she could kill 2 birds with one stone. Spend time with her family and be a state away from Gabby and Matt’s reunion.

Sylvie walked into the firehouse alone, trying to quickly get to her locker. Unlike most days, she didn’t want to talk to any one today. She just wanted to be alone. So, after roll call, she was planning to spend as much of shift in the safety of her vehicle as possible. 

She had just put her bag in her locker and was getting ready to leave when Stella entered. She forced a quick smile, willing herself to move faster out of the room. Unfortunately, Kidd had other plans.

“Brett, what happened to you yesterday?”

For once, Brett had no idea what her friend was talking about. “I am not sure what you mean?”

Looking around to make sure that they were alone, Kidd leaned in closer. “You told us yesterday morning you were heading to the hospital, but Casey said you never showed?”

Brett could tell her friend was genuinely worried. Kidd wasn’t the main gossip in 51, as that award had gone to Foster. Sylvie knew she could be honest with her friend, but honestly, she just didn’t have the strength this morning.

“I did go to the hospital Kidd. After that I went home and packed some more.” With her explanation complete, Brett fled the locker room before Stella could ask any more questions.

Kidd stood there, her lips pursed, trying to figure out what was going on. She had seen the way she and Casey were behaving and knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she was witnessing the start of a relationship. _If that’s the case,_ Kidd wondered, _then why would Brett lie to me?_

________________________

Violet, Gallo’s girlfriend, was Brett’s partner today. She liked the young paramedic, feeling that she had a bright future in the CFD. Even with that, Sylvie was in no mood to talk a lot today.

The junior paramedic sat down, greeting her boss for the day. “Hey Brett. How was Casey when you visited him yesterday?”

Brett let her face fall into her hands. She had not expected to have to talk to Violet about Casey, especially when she wasn’t even a true member of 51. Her worries about today being a terrible day were already starting to materialize.

She looked around her to see who was listening before she replied. “Violet, don’t tell anyone else this, but I didn’t go and see Casey yesterday.” It immediately felt better to come clean from her lie to Kidd. Even though, technically, she didn’t EXACTLY lie to Kidd.

“Huh”, Violet replied softly. “I guess that explains a lot.”

Just as Brett was about to ask her what she meant by that, Bodden came in to start his meeting.

___________________

After the 20 minute meeting was over, Brett practically ran out of the room, trying to get to the breakfast line first. She wanted to quickly get her food before heading out to the ambo. The less questions she got today the better.

She succeeding in getting into line first, having fixed her plate and drink before any one else got to the kitchen. She was about to head back to her vehicle when Severide stopped her. 

“Morning Brett. Can I talk to you about Casey for a minute?”

She knew that the last person she wanted to talk about Casey with, today of all days, was Severide. Well, after Gabby, but he was the 1A to her 1. “Sorry”, she replied. “I have to head to 61 to do inventory.”

Immediately, Kelly knew that he was getting blown off. He decided to call her on her bluff. “Oh, okay. I will just walk to your vehicle with you. We can talk on the way.”

Brett immediately panicked, trying to think of a way to get Severide to NOT come out with her. Just as she was about to make up a lie, the bells went off.

**_AMBULANCE 61. PERSON IN DISTRESS. 411 SMITHSON STREET_ **

Brett laid her plate back on the counter, starting to run towards her vehicle. She looked back over her shoulder at Severide, who she could tell was not happy about this turn of events.

Brett got into the driver’s seat as Violet took the passengers. They were barely out of the station before Brett turned to Violet.

“Hey, what did you mean back there about something explaining a lot?”

Violet turned to look at Brett, knowing she was on dangerous ground. It really wasn’t her place to say anything, especially to her boss for the day. However, being trapped in the vehicle with her now, she knew she didn’t have any where she could hide.

“It’s just that Blake and I went by Med yesterday to visit Casey.” She took a moment to take a breath before continuing. “He just seemed really down, and he mentioned something about expecting a visitor who hadn’t come by yet.”

Brett looked at the young woman, not understanding what Casey was talking about. He had Gabby with him, who else would he be expecting? Maybe the Chief she thought. Even with that, she wasn’t sure why any of this had to do with her.

“I don’t know Violet. I did go by yesterday morning to check on Matt, I mean Casey. His ex-wife was in with him, so I decided to head back home. Maybe he was expecting the Chief?”

Now it was Violet’s turn to not understand. “I don’t think so.”, she replied. “Chief had already been by before us. As for Casey’s ex-wife, we didn’t see her the entire time we were there.”

That update made Sylvie furious. Matt was in the freaking hospital and Gabby couldn’t even spend ONE day with him there? Hell, she had spent the night with him in the hospital and they were only friends. Well, whatever they were becoming before Gabby came back in the picture. Part of her wanted to tell Gabby off when she saw her. Even though she knew there wasn’t a chance for her and Casey to become what she had hoped they would, he still deserved better. She wouldn’t even care if Gabby hated her. She didn’t even consider her former partner to be her friend any more.

__________________

The person in distress was a 28 year old drug addict who had overdosed. They administered Narcan on the scene, loaded her into the ambulance, and made their way to Med. The closer they got to Med, the madder Sylvie got. As they pushed the overdose victim into the ER, she had made up her mind to go and see Gabby. Maybe if she told her what a pathetic girlfriend, or wife, or whatever she was now, then maybe she would straighten up and treat Casey better. Besides, if she didn’t like it, Brett was going to be heading out of state in a little less than 24 hours, so she really could care less.

After they dropped off their patient, Brett instructed Violet to round up some supplies. Violet knew exactly where Brett was going without having to be told. She knew she was going to go see Casey.

________________________

Brett was outside of Casey’s room in a matter of minutes. She glanced through the glass, seeing Casey laying in his bed, alone. She could feel her anger at Gabby grow stronger every minute she was absent. She turned, looking up and down the hall for her, but didn’t see her. What kind of person leaves the man that she loves in the hospital alone? She knew that if Casey loved her, she would never treat him that way. She was about to head back down to 61 when she heard her name.

“Sylvie!”

She let her head fall to her chest. Somehow Casey had seen her through the glass. So much for getting back down to the ER without seeing him. She turned, opened his door, and stepped in. She walked slowly towards his bed with her arms crossed in front of her.

“Sylvie, what happened yesterday? I thought you were going to come to the hospital.”

She knew she could lie and say she got busy, but if there was ever a hope for them to become friends again, she didn’t want to lie to him.

“I did come by Casey.”

At the sound of his last name, Matt could feel the uneasiness that he had felt for the entire last day begin to grow even more.

“If you did come by, why didn’t I see you?”

Her cheeks were flushed now, her anger seething. “Well Casey, because when I was almost to your room, I heard Gabby in here talking to the doctor. “

Casey could see the hurt in her eyes as she said Dawson’s name. He was about to say something when she continued.

“Look Casey, we are supposed to be friends. If you want to get back with Gabby, then I am happy for you.” She could feel her tears rising and tried to push them down. “I just don’t understand. If you wanted to get back with Gabby, why didn’t you just tell me?”

Matt pursed his lips. How was it that Gabby was always ruining important things in his life? He decided that just like her butting into his business, that ended today too. 

“Sylvie, I am NOT getting back with Gabby. I didn’t even know she was in Chicago until she showed up in my room. Hermann told her what had happened, not me. When I woke up, she was holding my hand, but I thought it was YOU who had my hand. As soon as I figured that out, I pulled my hand back and was about to tell her to leave when my doctor came in. When she started sticking her nose into my business, I sent the doctor out, and told Gabby in no uncertain terms that I don’t love her anymore and they we were never going to get back together.”

Brett was shocked to hear those words come from Casey’s mouth. She stood there, her mouth open, not understanding exactly what had just happened. Had she really misjudged the situation that much? What did that say about her, and her feelings for Matt, that she would immediately think the worst without even giving him an opportunity to tell her his side of the story? A tear started to run down her check while she walked closer to the bed. She sat down in the chair beside his bed, trying to find the words to say what she wanted to, no needed to, say. Before she had a chance, Casey continued.

“Look Sylvie, you know I am not great with words, so if you will, please let me finish what I need to say to you. I don’t want Gabby. She is my past. I want a future that is different than what I had with her. I want to love someone who not only loves me back, but wants to be my partner. I don’t want to be alone anymore. I have never been the kind of guy to have a one night stand, and I am not going to start now. I want to be all in with someone. I don’t want to worry that if we have a fight that they are going to walk away from me.”

Casey inhaled deeply before blowing all the air out of his lungs. He knew the next part was the toughest. “Sylvie, we have been friends for a while now, but at some point during the last year I started to have feelings for you. I thought they would go away when you got engaged to Kyle, but they didn’t. They only got stronger. I’m not going to lie to you or myself anymore. I am crazy about you Sylvie. You are the person I want to be with. You are the ONLY person I want to be with. I know this might be a shock to you, and if you don’t feel the same, I will understand. I promise I will. But, if I have learned anything over the last year, it is that life is too short, and I don’t want to wait any more. So Sylvie, it really comes down to this. I don’t want to be alone, but I will if I can’t have you.”

Brett still set there in shock, trying to take the words he just said to her make sense. In the end, she decided to screw trying to make sense out of any of this.

“Matt, I am crazy about you too. I’m sorry about yesterday. I…I just didn’t know what to do when I heard Gabby’s voice. If I am being honest, a part of me always wondered if you wanted to get back together with her. But now I know the truth.”

She let her tears come, as they flowed down her checks and over her smile. “I don’t want you to be alone Matt. I want you to be with me. The day we spent together the other day is how I want to spend EVERYDAY with you.”

He reached out and took her hand in his, his smile beaming as he laid in bed. He was there, in the moment, taking in the amazing woman that had just told him that she shared his feelings. At that point, he felt like he could fly if he wanted to. 

Brett stood up, wanting to do the one thing she had wanted to for so long. She wanted to kiss Matt. Her Matt. As she leaned over his bed, Casey stopped her.

“Sylvie, I really want to kiss you, but I don’t want our first kiss to be in a hospital, especially when I can’t remember the last time I brushed my teeth.”

Her laugh hit his heart, and he wanted to capture it there for all of eternity. Brett, though, decided she HAD to kiss at least some part of him. She leaned over and pressed her lips against his check, feeling the stubble from his face tickle her. She let her lips linger on his skin. At the same time, she could feel his hand come to rest on her waist. When she pulled away, his eyes were closed, lost in the feeling of her.

Matt finally opened his eyes, which were also wet. He didn’t know how he got so lucky to have Sylvie in his life, but he promised himself at that moment that he would do anything he could to hold onto her.

Right as she sat back down, her radio went off. She looked over at him, her face falling.

“Back to work.”, he stated, knowing she had to go, but not wanting her to leave.

“Yep. I’m sorry Matt, but I have to go. I promise I will come back and see you first thing tomorrow when I get off shift.”

He laughed, a gentle sound that felt intoxicating to her. She knew she needed more of his laughter in his life. ‘Uh, I remember you promising that to me once before. Why should I trust you now?”

She was almost to his door before she turned around, looking at him one last time before she left.

“You can trust me Matt, because you have my heart.”


	18. Apologies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a quick little transition chapter before things shift back to Casey and Brett.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for checking out, and continuing to read my little story. I hope you all like where this fanfic is headed! As always, I welcome all of your comments and kudos. This is a quick little transition chapter before things turn back to Casey and Brett. Hope you enjoy!

As Brett raced down the stairs, she felt better than she had in days. _Matt feels the same way about me that I do about him,_ she screamed to herself. All of the wondering. All the longing looks at each other. All of that had brought both of them to this place in time. She couldn’t be happier to know that she had a future with Matt. A real and possible future.

As soon as she got into 61, Violet could tell the difference in her boss. The disconnected look she had earlier was replaced with glowing. In addition, the smile that had not been present so far today was back. She was beaming.

While they sped to the next victim, Violet couldn’t help but ask the question. “So, I take it your visit upstairs went well?”

Sylvie turned at smiled at her partner for today. She wasn’t sure she wanted everyone to know about her and Matt yet. She knew 51 was like family to both of them, but just like real families, sometimes support turned into joking and kidding. She didn’t want to have to face that yet, especially without Matt at her side. She decided to leave her response as simple and closed off at possible.

“Yes, yes it did.”

Within minutes, they were at the address of the call. It was a child who had fallen, more than likely breaking their arm. Brett quickly ran towards the boy, placing her thoughts about Matt on hold while she focused on her job.

_____________________

It was a little after 11am when Violet and Brett returned to the firehouse. Brett quickly exited the vehicle, knowing that she had two people she needed to talk to. Preferably together. She saw Kidd in the bullpen, motioning with her head for her to follow her. She quickly walked back to Severide’s quarters with Kidd in tow. Luckily, Kelly was there, which made this easier. 

Brett knocked on the door before hearing Kelly tell her to come in. She opened the door, but waited on Kidd to enter before she closed it behind her.

The two lovers looked at Brett as they sat down on his cot, unsure exactly what was happening. They both remained silent, waiting on the PIC to start.

“Look, I wanted to apologize to both of you about this morning.”, she started. She hated to tell them everything that had happened, but as both Matt and her best friends, they needed to know. “The truth is, I did go to visit Matt at the hospital yesterday, but I didn’t actually see him.”

Kelly and Stella shared a look, not sure where this was headed. They already knew Brett hadn’t seen Casey, as he himself had told them that.

“When I was almost to his room,” Brett continued, “I heard Gabby’s voice. I didn’t know how to handle that, so I went home.”

While they had been sitting patiently, Severide was off his feet immediately. _Gabby. What the hell is she doing here,_ he wondered. “Brett look, you have to know that Matt doesn’t…”. That was all he got out before Brett put her hand up, stopping him.

“I know Severide. I saw Matt this morning and he told me everything that had happened, including him telling Gabby he was never getting back with her.”

Looking up at her boyfriend, Kidd was trying to gauge Kelly’s reaction. She had been friends with Gabby too, at one point, but that had ended when she left for Puerto Rico. Severide on the other hand, liked Gabby as a person, but did NOT like her for Casey.

He sat back down, taking in this news. He was proud of his best friend for standing up to his ex, once and for all, but was curious why he had told this to Brett and not him. Kidd took Kelly’s hand in hers as she spoke next.

“Brett, I am glad that Gabby is finally out of Casey’s life for good. But what I don’t understand is why you didn’t tell me about all of this earlier today?”

The PIC played with her watch, embarrassed to tell them the truth. She knew, though, there was no other way. “I was jealous you guys. I am crazy about Matt, and I thought he felt the same about me. When I heard Gabby in his room, I just assumed that they were getting back together, so I went home and wallowed all day. Trust me, I am not proud of myself, but I am just telling you the truth. It wasn’t until after our first call that I went up to see Matt and we got everything out in the open.

Now it was Kidd’s turn to stand. She had known her friend was crazy about the Captain. Hell, most of 51 was aware of it too. But when she said that they got everything out in the open, Kidd hoped she meant what she hoped she meant.

“Does that mean what I think it means?”, Kidd asked, her smile growing.

All Sylvie had to do was nod, before Kidd grabbed her and hugged her. “Brett, I am so happy for you two!”

Kelly was lost until Stella said the words “happy for the two of you”. That was all he needed to understand that Casey had finally told Brett how he felt about her. He too stood, hugging Brett as well.

Sylvie was the epitome of happiness. Her face was beaming with a huge smile, and her eyes had regained their sparkle. Even with that, she knew her friends needed to pump the brakes on their excitement.

“Look you two,” she said, lowering her voice. “All of this just happened this morning, so can we PLEASE keep this between ourselves for now? Matt and I haven’t even been out on an official date yet, nor have we talked about how, or if, we want to let everyone know.”

Her two friends nodded their agreement. Severide knew the first chance he got, he was going to go and congratulate his friend in person. He didn’t care that Brett said they hadn’t been on their first date yet, all he knew was that the two of them were perfect for each other.

________________________

The rest of the shift went by easily, with all 3 vehicles remaining at 51 for most of the day. About 10pm, Brett’s exhaustion from the night before started to catch up to her. She was still beyond thrilled with the movement on her and Matt’s relationship, but that adrenaline had long since vanished. As most of the firehouse set in the bullpen, Brett sneaked back to Casey’s quarters. She quietly opened his door before closing it behind her. She sat on his cot and took off her shoes. As soon as she laid her head on his pillow, his familiar scent rushed back to her. That was all she needed, as she was asleep almost immediately.


	19. Visiting Casey at Med

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brett had promised Casey she would come back to visit him after shift was over. With their feelings for each other out in the open, how will it go?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 19! Big things are afoot for Casey and Brett. Thanks to all you who are making time to take this trek with me. I hope you are enjoying it as much as I am writing it. As always, thanks for all the kudos and comments. They mean the world to me. Hope you enjoy!

Around 6:30 am, Severide entered Casey’s quarters, lightly tapping Brett’s shoulder.

“Hey Brett, time to get up.”

Brett rolled over on her back before looking up at Kelly. She was surprised to see him, as she didn’t realize anyone knew she was in there.

“Sorry, I just didn’t want you to get in trouble.” Severide said, knowing the question that was coming. “I don’t think the Chief would care, but better safe than sorry.”

She quickly got up and put on her shoes. The two of them walked out to the bullpen together. Brett looked up at the clock, seeing she only had 30 more minutes before she could head to see Matt. In retrospect, she was glad she hadn’t mentioned anything to her parents about coming to see them, because this way she could spend as much time with Matt over the next two days as he would allow her to.

As soon as the clock struck 7am, Brett was out of 51 and headed to her car. Earlier, when Severide had woken her up, he had mentioned something about he and Kidd coming by to visit Matt as well, so she wanted to get there first so she could have a few minutes alone with him.

On her drive there, she thought back to everything that had happened to her over the last year. All the losses she had suffered, from Otis to Julie, and now Amelia, who was with Scott in Rockford. Even though it was her decision to end things with Kyle, she counted that as a loss too. Through it all, Matt had been there for her. Maybe, for once this year, she had found the one person who would stay and make her happy.

After she parked her car, she headed into the hospital with a bounce in her step. Of course, she saw Matt all the time, but today was different. Today was the first time they would see each other after sharing how they felt about each other. When she got to his room, he wasn’t there. She turned and walked to the nurse’s station to see if she could find out where he was.

“Excuse me, do you know where Matt Casey is now?”

The nurse closest to her looked up. “Are you family ma’am?”

“No, I am his…..um….friend.” It took Brett a second to realize that she had no idea what they actually were, other than friends. She smiled politely back to the nurse. “We work together at Firehouse 51.”

The nurse returned her smile. “Well, since you aren’t that terrible lady who was here a couple of days ago, I can let you know that he is getting another CT scan. If you want to wait for him in his room, I am sure that will be fine.”

_Terrible lady_ , she wondered to herself. She got to Casey’s room before she turned back towards the nurse. “Ma’am, was that lady you mentioned named Gabby Dawson?”

Recollection immediately shown on the nurse’s face. “Yep, that’s her. She said she was the patient’s wife when we clearly show him as being single.” The nurse turned to another nurse sitting next to her, shaking her head in disbelief. “Like that fine specimen of a man would ever marry her.”

Chuckling to herself, Brett walked into Matt’s room to wait for him

__________________

Luckily, Matt was back to his room within 20 minutes. The nurse had him in a wheelchair, and Brett helped the older woman lift Matt so that he was sitting on the side of his bed. As soon as the nurse left, Brett wrapped her arms around Matt.

They sat there, lost in each other’s embrace, for several moments. Finally, Sylvie let go of him, before sitting back down in the chair. “What did the CT show?”, she asked.

Matt just smiled back at her. “Well, first thing, good morning Sylvie. And can I say I could really get used to you hugging me?”

Her laugh filled the room as her cheeks blushed. “Hey Matt, I had to work for the last 24 hours. Don’t think it wasn’t torture to not see you after our talk yesterday.”

His brow furrowed. “What talk, Sylvie?”

For a second, she could feel her heart sink to the floor. Had he not remembered telling her that he was crazy about her? She was about to start panicking when she saw a grin start to form on his lips.

“You jerk!” She said, playfully swatting his knee. “You had me going there for a minute.”

Matt just shrugged. “Hey, I have to find something to do, being cooped up in this hospital.” His eyes found hers, holding her stare. “By the way, Doc said the medicine was working, so I shouldn’t need surgery. Best of all, I should be able to go home tomorrow.”

With that news, Sylvie flung herself back into his arms. She laid her head on his shoulder, facing away from him. “Matt, that’s such good news. There were a couple of times you really had me worried.”

He ran his hands up and down her back. “I know, and I’m sorry. I don’t want you to be worried about me. I just want you to be happy.”

“I am…with you.”, she replied, turning to face him. Matt loosened his grip around her waist, turning his own face towards her. He lowered his head, and pressed his lips against hers. The kiss was very chaste, with each of them just lost in the feeling of the other’s lips. She pulled back first, smiling up at him.

“Well Captain Casey, can I just tell you that I could get really used to kissing you?”

____________________________

After the kiss, she sat back down in the chair as he laid back down. They talked about how the last shift had gone, as well as her confession that she slept in his quarters. Matt loved the idea that she was comfortable in his places, whether it be the loft or his quarters. They also talked about her apartment search, or lack thereof.

Right at that moment, Severide and Kidd entered his room. The four of them sat and talked for half an hour, just catching up. Casey shared the good news about possibly avoiding surgery and coming home, while Severide and Kidd shared what had happened on 81 and 3 the last shift. At one point, Brett excused herself, walking down the hall to the bathroom. As soon as she entered it, Kidd came in behind her. 

“So, tell me what happened this morning Brett?”

Brett looked at her friend, not sure what she should say. She knew that she needed to tell someone about their kiss, or she was going to explode. 

“It was good Kidd. We just talked for a while. I hugged him a few times.” Then, as an afterthought, she threw in the big news. “Oh yeah, I forgot, we also kissed.”

At that last piece of news, Kidd literally jumped in the air. “You are kidding me Brett! Really?”

Sylvie just nodded, her smile beaming. “It was just a very sweet, very innocent kiss. But oh my God Kidd, it made me want to throw him down on the bed and have my way with him.”

The two friends laughed the entire time they were in the bathroom. 

____________________

“So Case, you finally told Brett, huh?”

Casey’s smile had not faded since the kiss he shared with Sylvie. “Yep. I just decided that, after I got rid of Gabby, that life was too short not to tell her how I felt about her.”

Severide looked at how happy his friend was. He knew, also, that this was only the beginning. “Well, I am proud of you. Have you told her about the other thing you mentioned yet?”

His friend shook his head. “Not yet Kelly. I just want us to go out on a few dates before I spring that on her.”

As soon as the women came back in the room, Severide and Casey knew that something had gone on while they were out. They were both smiling and giggling.

“Well, I think that is our cue to head home babe.” Kelly suggested to Kidd. Stella nodded her agreement, and after saying goodbye, they were gone.

As soon as their friends were gone, Matt looked over to Sylvie sitting in her chair. “Hey, I know you had to work yesterday, so I don’t want you to feel obligated to stay here with me. If you have things you need to do, I will understand.”

She just sat there smiling at him. Of course, Matt would offer her the opportunity to head home and rest. He was always looking out for her, even if it meant him siting in a hospital room alone.

“Nope Matt, I am yours until you kick me out or I get to take you home.”

Casey could feel his loins stir at her saying she was his. _One day, very soon, I am going to take her up on that._

___________________

The rest of the day was easy and comfortable. They talked about work, her family, and his sister and niece. She thought it would be exactly what you would talk to someone about on a first date, even if this wasn’t one. They laughed at the one old sitcom that they could get on the hospital TV. Around lunchtime, she ran out and brought them both back something to eat. She also did the same for dinner. Around 9pm, she could feel herself becoming tired. Matt had already dozed off a few times in the last hour. She thought about heading home, but just couldn’t stand the thought of him being there in the hospital alone. In an instant, she decided what she needed to do.

“Okay Matt, slide over”, she said, getting up from her chair. 

Casey scooted himself over so that he was on the left side of the small bed. Brett kicked off her shoes before climbing up in bed with him. It took them a few seconds to figure out how best to position themselves, but once she kicked her leg over his, she laid her head down on his chest, they were set. He bent down and kissed her forehead before wrapping his arm around her waist.

“Thank you for staying with me today.”, he said softly. “You don’t know what it means to me that you would do that.”

She looked back up at him, kissing him softly again. “You don’t have to thank me Matt. I will always be here for you, good or bad.”

With those words said, they both fell asleep, glad to be back in each other’s arms again.


	20. Casey gets released

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brett had spent the night with Casey in the hospital. Now that he is getting released, what happens to them then?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 20. Unlike my first story, I see no end in sight on this one. I hope you all are enjoying the ride. Continued thanks to all of you who take the time to comment and send kudos. They are very much appreciated! Hope you enjoy!

Casey woke to the sound of someone coughing. Loudly. He opened his eyes and saw Dr. Halstead looking back at him. 

“Good morning Casey. Brett.”, the Doc said, not trying to hide his smile.

Now that her eyes were open too, Brett felt her checks redden at Halstead catching her sleeping with Matt. 

“Morning Doc.”, Casey replied. “You here to discharge me?”.

Brett quickly hopped down from the bed, going to work putting her shoes back on. There was something about lying next to Casey that she already missed.

“Yes I am, Captain.”. Will quickly glanced at Brett to make sure he had her attention too. “Okay. So first I will go over what you CAN NOT do. We don’t want you driving yet, that will have to wait until your follow up with your Neurologist. You cannot operate heavy machinery.”

Casey was about to complain before Halstead cut him off.

“You can go back to desk duty at 51, but that is it. Casey, I swear if I hear that you are inside a fire truck, I will send Jay to bring you back here and I will have him handcuff you to the bed.”. Will tried to send his best stern face to go along with his warning.

Laughing, Brett patted Matt’s shoulder. “Don’t worry Doctor. I will make sure he listens to you.”

Over the next few minutes, Halstead went over a few more housekeeping items with Brett and Casey. After he left, Brett grabbed Casey’s bag, that Severide had dropped off yesterday, for him. She then stepped out in the hallway so Matt could get dressed. When he called back out to her, she reentered the room.

“Ready to go home?” she asked, a smile on her face.

He took in her beautiful smile. “Definitely. Hey, I wanted to ask you something?”

She looked at him quizzically. “Okay?”

“Well”, he replied, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck. “I was going to see if you wanted to go to dinner tonight, but now I can’t drive. So, would you like to come over tonight and have dinner with me?”

Her smile widened. “Of course, I would love to have dinner with you Matt.”

With their plans set, they waited for the nurse to come with the wheelchair to discharge Matt.

___________________

As always, the wait for the nurse had been longer than expected. 45 minutes later, the nurse and Sylvie were helping Casey get into her car that she had just brought around to the door. Once they were in, Brett started the car and they headed back to the loft. In the early morning light, Casey kept stealing glances of the sun hitting Sylvie’s face. She had put on sunglasses to block out some of the light, but he swore that only made her more beautiful. Since he had told her the other day about his feelings for her, he felt more comfortable staring at her than before. It was a good thing too, because he found that her beauty left him awestruck. 

When they got to the loft, Brett helped Casey up the elevator and into the apartment. As soon as she opened the door, Severide ran over to help her lead him in.

“You two know that I can walk without any problem, right?”, he asked his friends. 

Sylvie simply shook her head back at him. “Hey, you better enjoy this while you can. When we find out you are cleared for duty you won’t be getting any more special treatment from us.”

As they sat Casey down on the couch, Kelly headed back to his bedroom to let Kidd know their roommate was home. Casey looked up at Brett, trying to give her his best puppy dog eyes.

“Sylvie, you mean I can’t persuade you to give me ANY special treatments?”

She chuckled back at him. “I am sure you that, if anyone can persuade me, it will be you.” She leaned down and gently pressed her lips to his. She didn’t want to leave, but she knew she had to get some more packing down, especially if she was coming back here for dinner. “I am going to head back to my place now. Just text me what time you want me here for dinner.”

He honestly didn’t want her to leave. He knew she had her own life outside of him, but he had gotten spoiled VERY quickly from having her near him for hours at a time. He stood up and walked her back to the door.

“Be careful, okay. I will text you when I figure out the time.” He leaned down and gently kissed her once more. Even though, they had only kissed each other a few times now, he already knew he never wanted to stop kissing her.

Sylvie reached up and placed her hand on Casey’s cheek. “I will. I am looking forward to our first date tonight.” With that said, she was gone.

Casey turned to head back into the apartment, his smile taking up the majority of his face. _Now, I just need to find a way to get Severide and Kidd out of the loft for the night._

_____________________

It had actually been easier to get his roommates out of their apartment than he had thought, as Kidd had to work at Molly’s and Kelly said he would hang out there with her. He shot off a quick text to Brett, letting her know that they were good for 7pm. 

_So, I just need to find a way to calm my nerves between now and then._

Even though he and Brett had been friends for years now, even being really good friends for the last 12 months, he knew that this was unchartered territory for them. Yes, they had kissed a couple of times, and even snuggled in bed once or twice, but he knew tonight was really the start of them potentially being a couple. Therefore, he needed everything to be perfect.

Across town, Brett was trying to pack more moving boxes, but her mind kept coming back to dinner tonight. She knew that this wasn’t the first date that Matt had hoped for, so she wanted to act like they were going out to a nice restaurant. She had picked out a nice pair of tan slacks with tan heels to match. She had a light blue sweater she had never worn set out to finish the ensemble.

_Now all I need is for 7 o’clock to get here,_ she thought.

__________________

At 5:30, she started to get ready. She had not gotten a lot accomplished, since she couldn’t seem to concentrate on anything except a certain blonde captain, who currently sat across town waiting for her. She even put a little kink in her normal straight hair to try something new for him.

Casey had gotten a little bit more done, but not by much. He had talked to the Chief about Halstead’s orders, and then had called back a few customers who were waiting on bids from him. Other than that, he tried to watch a game with Severide, but truthfully wouldn’t have been able to tell you the score if you paid him too.

He wanted tonight to be perfect. He definitely wasn’t sorry about it, but somehow with his injury they had gotten things out of order. You normally wouldn’t spend the night with someone, cuddled up together, until AFTER you had gone on a few dates. He hoped that, starting tonight, they could start back at square one…well, maybe 2 or 3. A little later, he took a shower before putting on some nice jeans, dress shoes, and a button up shirt. He knew that if they had gone out somewhere, he would have dressed up more, but he felt that what he had on was nice, but still comfortable enough, for home.

He started the lasagna, hoping to be able to plate it not long after 7pm. He knew he could wait a little before preparing the salad. He figured 15 minutes after she arrived would give Sylvie a chance to come in and for them to get settled before they ate.

Severide left about 6:30 to head to Molly’s. He wished Casey luck, and then was out the door. Matt couldn’t remember the last time he was this nervous. He knew he shouldn’t be, as it wasn’t like Sylvie hadn’t already told him that she was crazy about him too, but he was. He knew he didn’t have the best track record with relationships, and he definitely didn’t want to screw this up. Not with Sylvie. She was already too important to him.

At 6:55, he heard a knock on the door. He wasn’t an overly religious man, but said a prayer right before he opened the door.

_Dear Lord, please don’t let me screw this up._

With that said, he turned the knob on the door….


	21. First Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sylvie agreed to Matt's offer of a first date. Will it go as good as they hope?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, to all of you who have been reading this story. I appreciate you following along this winding trail with me. As always, your comments and kudos are appreciated. With that said, welcome to Chapter 21!

What Matt saw on the other side of the door took his breath away. It wasn’t something he was expecting, that was for sure.

Sylvie stood there, almost like a vision out of one of his dreams. Seeing her, he feared his heart stopped for a minute. He tried to find his voice, but failed miserably on the first attempt.

“Sylvie, you….you look incredible”, he said earnestly.

She smiled back at him, a huge smile that made her eyes sparkle. “Well thank you Matt. I was going for pretty, or maybe even beautiful. Incredible tops that though.” 

She walked into the loft before turning around to face him. “And, may I say you clean up pretty good yourself.” 

He blushed at her compliment. She saw this, and reached up and kissed his cheek. “What’s for dinner?”

He quickly shook his head, trying to get his brain to work with the rest of his body. He had seen Sylvie dressed up before, but the fact that she dressed up for THEIR first date, well, that had him stumbling all over himself.

“I made us some lasagna with a side salad. Should be ready in a little while.”

He turned to check on the lasagna, leaving her time to really take him in. Over the last week, she had only seen him in shorts and a t-shirt, or in hospital scrubs. Well, if you didn’t count the time she saw him in just his underwear. She felt a bolt of electricity run down her spine, remembering how good he looked. _He also looks pretty damn good tonight too,_ she considered.

Casey looked back at her. _God, she really is incredible._ He quickly said another prayer, hoping with every part of his being he didn’t screw this up somehow. “Do you want some wine?”, he asked.

She nodded, so he poured her a glass of her favorite, rose’. She took it gratefully, taking a larger gulp than normal. He grabbed her beer off the counter, taking a large sip as he watched her drink. Somehow, she could even make drinking wine sexy. _I am in DEEP, DEEP trouble_ , he thought.

Just then the buzzer with off, saving them both from their thoughts. He got the lasagna out of the oven, placing it on the stove so it could cool briefly. He then opened the fridge and took out the salad, setting it on the table. He had already set out the plates, napkins, and silverware, so they were ready to go as soon as the lasagna cooled a little.

“Matt, it smells amazing.”, she said with her eyes closed, lost in the aroma. 

He quickly ran his hands down the front of his jeans, trying to dry off his hands. Hands that had been sweating since he opened the door. As a matter of fact, all of him was sweating.

She opened her eyes just in time to witness his hands going down the front of his jeans.

“Are you nervous?”, she asked shyly.

He looked at her, trying to find the right words, but none came. At that point, he resorted to brutal honesty. “Yes I am. I don’t know why, but I am.”

She laughed softly, meeting his gaze with her own. “Me too Matt. I don’t know why either.”

The two of them stood there, lost in each other’s eyes. Something about them being honest with each other calmed them. She could see his shoulders relax, and he could see the same on her. He walked around the table and took her into his arms.

“Thank you Sylvie.”

She glanced up at him, her arms wrapped around his waist. “For what?”

He softly kissed her forehead. “For being honest with me. For some reason, knowing you are nervous too makes me more comfortable….as stupid as that sounds.”

He could feel her laugh against his chest. “Not stupid to me. I feel the same way. Maybe we have both thought about this so much we are worried it won’t be as good in real life as it is in our dreams?”, she wondered.

Casey smiled at her, an honest and heartfelt smile that caused her knees to go weak. “Trust me Sylvie, you will always be better in real life to me.”

Her heart swelled at his words. She thought about kissing him again, but just then, her stomach growled. They both laughed, partly at her, but mostly to let go of their nervousness. He released her and walked back to the stove.

“Have a seat Ms. Brett. I think you are really going to like this lasagna.”

________________________

The dinner, and their conversation during it, was amazing. Over two hours of amazing. They had talked about everything and anything. Surprisingly, they had actually talked about past relationships, both good and bad. She knew that, normally, this kind of conversation on a first date would have made her uncomfortable. But with Matt, it was the exact opposite. It made her feel closer to him.

She had now eaten Matt’s cooking twice in one week, and she was beyond addicted. She liked to think she was a good cook, and she practiced out new recipes all the time. For some reason, though, he could just whip something up that literally left her wanting to lick her plate. 

“That was amazing, Matt. Next time, I will have to cook for you. I need to see if I can top your culinary skills.”

He smiled back at her. He would love to try one of her meals anytime she wanted. But in truth, the most important thing she had just said was “next time”.

“Why don’t you go have a seat while I clean up?” he said before standing up.

“No way Mr. Casey.”, she replied, grinning. “You have cooked dinner for me twice, so the least I can do is clean up.”

He was about to argue you with her when she shot him one of her patented looks. He knew those looks from 51, so he just threw his hands up in surrender. “Anything you say PIC Brett.”

As she started to clean off the table, he just sat there, taking her in. Tonight had actually turned out better than going out for dinner. There was something about being alone with her, with no one around, that allowed him to lower his walls and be more honest with her than he might otherwise be. 

“So, how is the apartment hunting going?”

She had pushed the sleeves on her sweater above her elbows while she pre-washed their plates. “Ugghhh. Not really great.” She turned towards him. “I really don’t want to leave my apartment, but I can’t afford it on my own. On top of that, I haven’t seen anything I CAN afford on my own that I would be comfortable living in. Then, I thought about living with another roommate, but I don’t want to live with someone I don’t already know.”

Casey nodded his head, taking in her words. He knew she didn’t have much time left of her lease, and he imagined what she had just told him had her stressed out.

“Well, if you don’t find anything before your lease runs out, Severide volunteered our place to you.”

Sylvie’s mouth fell open at his words. _Is he asking me to move in with him?_

He could see her reaction and quickly tried to explain. “Not like you are thinking. I can sleep on the couch and you can have my bed.”

She could feel her cheeks blush. In truth, she didn’t want to be in his bed without him, though they weren’t at the point in their relationship to discuss things like that yet. “I couldn’t do that Matt. I wouldn’t put you on the couch.”

He looked back at her, his expression turning serious. “Sylvie, I would be more than happy to sleep on the couch if it helped you out. Remember, I know you. I have no doubt every time you are at home you are stressing out about where you are going to live.”

Laughing at his words, Sylvie couldn’t deny that. It was just who she was. “I appreciate it Matt. I really do. I promise that if it gets to that, we will talk about it okay?”

He nodded once, still holding her gaze. For a while, they simply stood there, just looking in each other’s eyes.

For a second, he felt like some invisible force was bringing them together, as they started walking toward the other. As soon as he was close enough, she felt his lips crash down on hers. Sure, they had kissed before, but this was anything but the soft, sweet ones they had shared. 

His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her to him. She opened her mouth, letting his tongue find hers. She ran her fingernails up and down his back. Without knowing it was possibly, their kiss deepened and continued for what seemed like forever. Finally, she broke their kiss and leaned back on against the table. She was trying to find her breath, but was not having any luck.

“Matt, you literally took my breath away.”, she mostly whispered.

He sheepishly looked up at her, a silly grin on his face. “I’m sor…”

It was all the words he could get out before she pulled him back in. She kissed him deeply, pulling his body as close to hers as possible. He willingly let her take the lead, following her gratefully as their tongues danced together. 

Each of them took turns breaking their kiss, before the other pulled them back in again. He had lost all concept of time until he heard the sound of keys in the front door. They broke apart, leaving a few feet between them, both panting for air.

Severide came in, closing the door behind him. He glanced curiously at the two of them, before his smile broke on his face. “Good first date you two?”

The both laughed, looking towards him while stealing glances at each other. Kelly walked back to his bedroom and closed the door. For the first time, Casey looked at the clock.

“Sylvie, did you know it was 10:30”, he asked.

She turned quickly to look at the clock, not believing him. “We have been kissing for over an hour.”, she said, absentmindedly, touching her lips.

She turned back towards him, smiling. Casey looked down at the floor and back up at her before he spoke. “Well, can I say that is the best hour I have had in a long time.”

Her smile widened. “Well than Matt, I would tell you I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment.”

She looked at her watch, checking the time again. “I guess I better head back to my place then.”

He slowly nodded, not wanting the night to end. Part of him wanted to take her back to his bedroom. Even if nothing happened, he knew he would miss sleeping with her beside him tonight. “I will walk you down to your car.”

He took her hand as they made their way down to her car. When they got there, he softly kissed her one last time. “Sylvie, I had a great time tonight.”

She smiled in return. “Me too Matt. Call me tomorrow okay?”

With that, she got into her car. Once she started the engine he hopped up onto the sidewalk, watching her go. She threw her arm on the passenger seat, using the angle to help her back up. She applied the brakes and looked at the overnight bag that still was in the backseat. _Well, I guess I will have to save you for another time._


	22. A few hours later....

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brett headed home after her dinner with Casey. He kicked himself for not asking her to stay. Will sleeping help to clear his mind?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 22 is now live! Thanks to all of you who are reading this. I appreciate you letting me take you on this journey. As always, your comments and kudos are much appreciated. As I mentioned a few chapters back, these chapters will start to get steamier, so will probably bump up the rating within the next 5 chapters. Hope you enjoy it!

Matt tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable. It was now almost 1am and sleep hadn’t found him yet. He knew he could try to convince himself that it was from sleeping so much at the hospital, but that would be a lie.

_I miss Sylvie._

There was something about how her body fit against his, and how he could feel her warmth radiate against his skin, that just relaxed him. It had happened the day she came over for breakfast, and again last night at the hospital. He looked back at the clock, seeing it hadn’t budged. He reached for his phone, which sat on his nightstand beneath the picture of the two of them.

He quickly unplugged the charger and entered his password. He was momentarily blinded by the bright light, until he quickly adjusted the display brightness down. He pulled up his messages and selected her name. He knew she would be asleep, but he wanted to message her so she would see it when she woke up.

Matt: Just so you know, I don’t sleep as good alone as I do when you are beside me.

He hit send, set the phone back on the table, and threw his head back onto his pillow.

___________________

Across town, Sylvie was sitting on her couch in her most comfortable pajamas, watching HGTV reruns. She had tried to sleep not long after she got home, but quickly gave up and came out to the couch. She didn’t know what was going on with her, but she found it hard to sleep by herself now. She was fine two nights ago, when Matt sent her home from the hospital, but she was now beginning to think that was only because she was in his bed. The same thing had happened at 51 on shift. 

Now, being home alone again, back in her own bed, she found sleep fleeting if she could even find it at all. She heard her phone chime with the sound of an incoming text. _Who is texting me at this time of night,_ she wondered. She paused the episode of Property Brothers she was watching and grabbed her iPhone. She couldn’t contain her smile as she read Matt’s text. It made her feel better to know she wasn’t the only one having this issue. Her thumbs flew across the screen, typing her reply.

Sylvie: Well I am up too, so it’s not just you. I don’t know what it is about you that helps me to sleep, but I know I miss it.

____________________________

Matt heard his phone vibrate on the night stand. He grabbed it, reading her reply. For some reason, knowing she wasn’t sleeping made his heart swell. _Maybe we really are feeling the same things_ , he considered. His gut instinct was to drive to her place, but then he remembered Dr. Halstead’s orders. He thought about asking her to come back over, but he didn’t want her to drive that late at night knowing she hadn’t slept either.

Matt: Well, now I am kicking myself for not suggesting you stay.

She laughed at his reply. If he only knew how ready she was to stay with him, he would really be kicking himself. She chewed on her lip, trying to decide what to say next.

Sylvie: I can come back over if you want?

Matt: Sylvie, there is nothing I want more than that, but I am not going to ask you to drive back across down at 1 in the morning. I appreciate you offering though.

He puffed out his cheeks, blowing all the air out of his mouth. Damn his injury, because he knew he would have already been on his way to her place if he could have.

Sylvie made her decision in an instant. She didn’t even change, only grabbing a pair of slippers and her purse and was out the door. She and Matt texted back and forth the entire time she drove back to his place, though he was oblivious to what she was doing.

Once she got parked, she grabbed her overnight bag and purse before walking up to his loft. When she got to his door, she texted him again.

Sylvie: Come to your door and let me in

He had to read the text twice to make sure he read it right. Was she actually here? He quickly got out of bed and walked to their front door. When he opened it, there she was, smiling back at him. Well, she smiled for a second, before her eyes traveled down his body.

It was only then that he realized he only had on his underwear again. She looked back up at him, a small grin forming on her face. “Here, help me with my stuff.”

She handed him her bag while she carried her purse. He locked the door behind them as she headed straight for his bedroom. She tried to take deep breaths on the way, but failed miserably. _Damn, if he doesn’t look good in only his underwear._

Once he came in the bedroom, he closed the door. He glanced at her, trying to take her in. She had on white slippers with a pair of fuzzy white pajama bottoms. She only had on a t-shirt, and he immediately could tell she wasn’t wearing a bra. He tried to control his emotions, but there was no chance of that anymore.

She sat on the bed, not caring if he noticed her staring at him or not. She could see the way he was taking her in. When she saw him harden as he looked at her, it took all the strength she had not to attack him right then and there. 

“Come to bed.”, she whispered, more seductively than she intended.

He nodded, not sure if he was more afraid to move to her, or afraid at what he would do when he got there. He slowly walked over to her. She stood up, pulling him into her arms. They stood there, just holding each other, for a few moments. 

“Let’s get in bed.”, he suggested, before realizing that he might not be able to resist her in his bed again.

She quickly walked to the other side of the bed, knocking the slippers off her feet. For a second, she thought about taking off her pajama bottoms, but she knew if she did that there would be no way she could resist trying to take advantage of him. Instead she laid down, in the same spot as a few days ago, only this time facing him.

He carefully got into bed, worried that his resolve was going to fade and that he would not be able to resist making love to her. He got into bed, his face inches away from hers.

“Thank you for coming back. I’m sorry you had to drive back over here this late.”

She let her hand wander up his arm until it came to rest on his bare chest. She could feel the strength under her fingers, wondering how he would feel on top of her. She tried to shake that image from her head before she answered. “Of course Matt. Besides, I will let you in on a little secret. I had my overnight bag with me when I came for dinner.”

He wanted to kiss her. No, he needed to kiss her. At the same time, though, he was worried. Worried about one thing. _If I start kissing her will I be able to stop?_

Instead, he reached his arm out, wrapping it around her waist, pulling her closer to him. He knew that he wanted her, goodness knows she could probably she just how MUCH he wanted her. More importantly though, he didn’t want to screw this up. She was one of the most important people in his life BEFORE they started dating, and he knew already that he wouldn’t know what to do with himself if he lost her now.

Looking over at her, he smiled before he spoke. “Sylvie, you know I am crazy about you, right?”

Her eyes found his and she nodded her reply.

He took a deep breath before he continued. “Good, then please don’t take this the wrong way. I want to kiss you. I mean I REALLY want to kiss you, but I am not going to.”

Her forehead wrinkled at his words until he continued.

“I am not going to kiss you because I am worried if I do, I won’t be able to stop. And I don’t want to screw up anything….not with you. You are already too important to me.”

The smile she had lit up her entire face. She slowly ran her fingernails up and down his pecs. “Thank you for telling me that, Matt. You are important to me too. Why don’t we talk about all of that stuff tomorrow? Right now, I just want you to hold me.”

Never one to disobey an order, he did exactly as she requested.


	23. The Day After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brett surprised Casey by coming back over to his loft. What will happen next?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 23! I am glad a lot of you have found this story compelling. I truly appreciate all of you who have checked it out. Kudos and comments are always appreciated...some of you really know how to boost a guy's writing ego with your comments, which I really appreciate. Hope you all enjoy!

The next morning when Brett woke up, she immediately knew Casey wasn’t there, as she missed the feel of his body against hers. She sat up, her back against the his headboard. She could smell an aroma floating through the air. She couldn’t place what it was, but all she knew was that it smelled amazing. She looked over at the clock by the bed, her eyes lingering on their picture on his nightstand, before seeing that it was almost 9:45.

_I never sleep this late,_ she thought. _But, I normally don’t have Matt beside me all night._

She smiled thinking back to last night. The way Matt looked when he opened the door was just…perfect. Well, perfect and very, very hot. She wasn’t sure how she kept from jumping him last night, but she was glad she did. Based on what he said last night, he was worried about messing things up. She didn’t know how he could possibly do that, but if he was worried about it then she would do whatever she could do ease his mind.

She quickly got out of bed, then headed into the bathroom. She used the bathroom, then brushed her hair and teeth and put on deodorant. She wasn’t sure whether Kidd and Severide were home, so she put her bra back on. She had just walked out into the living area when Matt turned to face her.

“Good morning beautiful.”, he said, his large smile framing his face.

She quickly looked around to see if his roommates were around, and when she didn’t see them, she walked over and pulled him in for a kiss.

“Well, good morning to you, hottie.” She replied. “How did you sleep?”

He rubbed his chin with one of his hands, acting like he couldn’t remember. “Not so great at the beginning, but then this blonde angel showed up. After that, I slept like a rock. You?”

“Funny, I had almost the same experience.”, she said, winking at him. “What are you cooking? It smells delicious.”

She had come to stand beside him. “That would be French Toast.”, he said proudly. “I also have some whipped cream, and I cut up some strawberries earlier. Syrup is already on the table.”

She looked at him, amazed. How did he have time to do all this? She quickly grabbed a plate, holding it out in front of her. He placed three pieces of the toast on her plate, allowing her to finish it the way she liked. She also grabbed a coffee mug, pouring herself a cup. “You know babe, if you keep cooking like this, I am going to have to start working out a LOT more than I do now.”

He turned to her, a quizzical expression on his face. “Babe?”

Her cheeks turned red at his question. She actually didn’t realize she had said it until he asked her. “Too soon?”, she asked shyly. 

He leaned over the table, kissing her quickly. “Not at all. All you just did was force ME to come up with some incredible sweet thing to call you, though. Also, if you end up needing to work out more, than I will end up in the same boat too.”

He prepared his plate and sat down across the small table from her. They ate in mostly silence, except for the glances they shared. Oh, and the few moans Sylvie made while she ate. Moans that caused Matt to excuse himself so he could take a VERY cold shower.

__________________________

After he got out of the shower, he cleaned up the table while she took her shower. When she came out, she was dressed but her hair was still wet. For a second, he thought he might have to quickly take ANOTHER cold shower, but instead took several deep breaths to calm himself.

“What do you have on the agenda today?”, he asked.

She pushed her hair back over her ears, nervously. “Well, I need to pack some more, but honestly I am just not motivated.”

Casey walked over, pulling her into his arms. “Well, considering you have spent all your time over here at the loft, why don’t we go back to your place and I will help you?”

She looked up at him, a grin on her face. “Really, you would do that?”

“Of course I would.”, he replied, happy that she liked his idea.

15 minutes later, after she had packed up her stuff, they were in her car and headed for her apartment.

_____________

When Sylvie opened the door to let them in, Matt took a few minutes to walk around her place. He had never spent a lot of time here, but he could see why she liked it. He imagined before she packed up most of her stuff, that the apartment probably fit her personality to a T.

She showed her what items she wanted boxed up, so he went to work. She had started working on another box when her phone rang. She quickly answered it.

“Hey mom.”, she said joyfully. She made a motion to Casey so he knew she was going to her bedroom to talk. Once she was inside, she closed her bedroom door. 

Matt spent the next 15 or so minutes boxing things up. He had moved quite a few times in his life, and had helped more folks from 51 than he could count, so he considered himself somewhat of an expert at packing. He had finished the box she assigned him quickly, so he moved on to packing other things, trying to keep the boxes organized by kitchen, den, photos, etc.

Sylvie had ended her call with her Mom and quietly opened the door to the bedroom. She could see Matt furiously working. She smiled, appreciating that he would do this for her. She walked as quietly as she could over to him, waiting for him to turn around.

As soon as he did, she pulled him in for a very long, wet kiss. The same kind of kiss they had shared the night before, leaving both of them breathless. After a minute or so, she broke the kiss while gazing up at him.

“Well, that was nice Sylvie. I am not sure what I did to deserve that, but I will be sure to keep trying.”, he laughed.

She smiled back at him, placing both of her palms on my chest. “That was for making me so happy that my Mom could tell over the phone that something was up. She just interrogated me for the last 10 minutes.”

Her laugh matched his, before she turned to grab another box.

“Oh, by the way, my parents want you to come home to Fowlerton with me the next time I go.”

_______________________

The rest of the day flew by. They ordered pizza for lunch, only breaking to eat. By 5pm, her entire apartment was packed up, with the exception of what she needed to live on. Seeing her home like this, a sadness creeped into her expression.

“How much longer do you have before your lease runs out?”

She glanced over at him, forcing a smile. “A little less than two weeks.” She plopped down on the couch, letting out a frustrated sigh. “I just don’t know what I am going to do, Matt.”

He absentmindedly rubbed the back of his neck before sitting down beside her. “Well, I was going to wait to talk to you about this, but it might as well be now.”

She looked at him, confused. His expression had turned serious. She could feel a chill come over her. For some reason, she was worried about what he had to say.

“Look, I have been thinking about this for a while, and I talked to Kelly about it a couple of weeks ago.”

She could tell he was stalling, but remained silent until he spoke again.

“I need to get my own place again. I have been living with Severide for far too long. It was fine when it was just us, but now with Kidd there, I know that they are wanting their privacy more often, you know?”

She reached over and placed her hand on top of his. “I can understand that Babe. Why would you want to wait to talk to me about that?”

Casey took a long pull on the bottle of water in his hand. “I want you to help me look for something. You have a great eye for this kind of stuff, much better than mine. But more than that, I want to find something that, if things work out the way I hope, you might be happy living in too someday.”

Sitting back against the couch, she took in his words. When he first said something about finding a place to live, a part of her actually HOPED he was asking her to move in with him. But just like last night, Matt was trying to take things slow. She could go slow too…for a little while at least.

“Matt, I would love to help you find something. I am just not sure what that has to do with MY living situation.”

“Well, if I move out, then it opens the bedroom at Kelly’s loft. He and Kidd already told me you are more than welcome to stay there while you figure out what you want to do next.” He prayed that what he left out was obvious…he hoped her next move would be with him.

Her smile returned, thinking about how generous he was. She knew he wouldn’t admit it, but she had a sneaky suspicion that his move was partly based on helping her out.

“In that case Matt, I would gladly help you look for a new place.” She leaned over and kissed him.

“Just to warn you, when I say a new place, I unfortunately mean everything. After the fire, I literally only have a few things to my name.”

Her heart broke when he said that. She remembered when the fire happened, but they weren’t close enough then for her to realize he never replaced anything. She reached over and kissed him again, this one a much longer kiss, filled with desire.

When she broke the kiss, she looked at him, happier than she had been in a while. So happy, in fact, that she thought they should discuss one more thing tonight,

“So Matt, I think we need to talk about sex.”


	24. The Day After Continued

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sylvie stuns Matt with her last words. How will he respond to her request?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 24 is here! Continued thanks go out to all of you who continually check out my little story. We are almost at 6,000 hits, which just boggles my mind. This chapter is a continuation of 23, and I hope you like. As always, I sincerely appreciate all of your kind comments and kudos. Hope you enjoy!

The water that was in Casey’s mouth quickly went down his windpipe, causing him to cough loudly. He continued coughing while Sylvie patted his back. After about 30 seconds, he finally caught his breath.

“Yeah, I probably should have waited until you swallowed, huh?”, she asked, sheepishly.

He let out a few more coughs before he felt like he was breathing normally again. His faint smile turned to her. “No, just took me by surprise, that’s all.” _That was an understatement. Sylvie had been surprising him A LOT lately with how bold she was getting._

She kept her gaze on him. “I just figured it would be easier to talk here, at my place, since I know we won’t get interrupted.”

He nodded back at her, still attempting to breath normally. At this point, his breathing issue was more about her and the subject matter than the water.

Taking a deep breath, she took his hand in hers. “Look Matt, I really like you. I have for a while now, but this last week has been even better than I dreamed it would be…other than you getting hurt, of course.”

He laughed at her adding the last part. If it took him getting hurt to give him the nerve the tell her how he felt, well, that was a price he was willing to pay. “I know. I feel the same way.”

“I think part of why it is so good between us is that we were friends BEFORE we started dating. There is just something about you that makes me….well, feel comfortable around you. I don’t have any of the jitters that I normally do on first dates.”

Casey winced at her mentioning first dates. He knew she had dated a LOT more than he had over the last few years. In truth, that was one of the things he worried about. _What if she gets tired of me?_ He thought about responding to her, but instead sat quietly.

She continued. “Feeling comfortable around you is a good thing, Matt. I just wonder if, because I feel that way, that is why I maybe rushed things a little with you? Trust me, I normally don’t spend the night with a guy, even if all we did was sleep, before we even had our first date.”

His nerves had gone on high alert at the last part. _Did she regret what they had done?_

“I understand that, I really do.”, he replied while looking down at their hands. “I just don’t want to screw this up. I don’t have the best track record when it comes to relationships, you know.”

Her mouth fell open, taking in his words. “No babe, don’t do that to yourself. Dawson left YOU remember? As for Hallie, I don’t know a lot about that, but I know that wasn’t your fault either. I am just saying that I don’t want to mess up anything either.”

She let her thumb do circles on the back of her hand. “Remember, I have been engaged twice, and both of those relationships crashed and burned. I don’t have any better track record than you do.”

He turned to her, letting his hand rest on her check. “From what you have told me, you should have dumped Harrison LONG before he left you. As for the Chaplain, I blame myself for partially pushing you away from me and back to him.”

She looked at him strangely. “Did you like me, even back then?”

Nodding, he looked back at her. “Yeah. I just never could find the right time to tell you.”

She playfully swatted his shoulder. She shared with him when her feelings started to change for him. He shared that he was going to ask her to dinner before the Chaplain proposed. After a few minutes, they sat there in silence, neither one of them knowing what to say next. Finally, Casey broke the tension.

“Look Sylvie, all that matters to me is that I have you know. I have kicked myself for the last year about not asking you sooner, but maybe all of this happened for a reason. All I know is this. I don’t want to let you go now.”

She could feel her emotions swell at his words. She shifted places on the couch, so that she was straddling him. She leaned down and kissed him. A long, loving kiss that neither of them wanted to rush. After a few minutes of kissing, she could feel him harden against her thigh.

She moved back to her original spot, blushing. “Well, I guess now is a good time for us to get back to my original topic?”

He tried to straighten his jeans to relieve the pressure he was now experiencing, but had no luck. He looked over at her embarrassed. “Yeah, I would say now is DEFINITELY the time for us to discuss that.”

She leaned over, resting her head on her shoulder. She knew this next part would be easier if she didn’t have to look at him. _Looking at him always makes me want to HAVE sex with him, not wait._

“Matt, I am not going to lie and tell you I haven’t thought about us…well…you know. Because I have. Trust me, I have. I just don’t want us to sleep together and then something happen to us.”

For a second, Matt thought she was afraid he would dump her after her slept with her. He could feel his anger start to rise, until she continued.

“I just know that I want this…us, to work. You are the best man I know, and I know you wouldn’t hurt me. I just worry about doing something to hurt you.”

He placed an arm around her shoulder. “Sylvie, you have to remember that I know you too. I know that you would NEVER hurt me intentionally. I just think that, as long as we keep talking to each other like we are now, we will be fine.”

He took a shallow breath before he spoke again. “I want us to work too. That is all I want. Like I said at the hospital, I don’t want to casually date. That’s not me, and I know it isn’t you either. I want to be all in with you.”

She leaned up, letting him kiss her softly. “So, what about sex then?”. Even though she was the one who started this conversation, she knew she wanted to hear what he had to say.

“Well”, he replied, “Don’t think that I haven’t thought about it either. I mean, I took a cold shower this morning because of it.”

She immediately turned towards him, shocked. “What?”

He laughed. “I will let you in on a little secret Ms. Brett. When you moan like you do when you are eating my cooking, it can cause me to have…let’s just say impure thoughts.”

Her laugh followed. “Really? I didn’t even realize I was doing that?”

He pulled her back to him. Both of them were smiling, looking at the empty apartment in front of them.

“How about we try this,” Casey stated. “We just let everything play out as we continue to date, and when one of us feels like we are ready for the next step, we will just check and make sure the other is at the same place? No pressure.”

She couldn’t think of a better plan, so instead leaned up and kissed him once more. “Sounds like a plan Mr. Casey.”

He stood up, causing a frown to appear on her face. “Now that’s settled, why don’t I head home so you can rest up before shift tomorrow?”

Instantly, she knew she didn’t want him to leave, but she had to get used to sleeping without him at some point in time. She nodded her head, attempting to stand up as well. “Okay, I will drive you back.”

Matt put his hands on her shoulders to stop her. “No, I will just take an Uber. You stay here and relax.”

She knew he hated ride shares, and was about to argue when he pulled out his phone to order one. After hitting the right buttons, he leaned down and kissed her again. 

“Good night Sylvie. I will see you tomorrow on shift.”

She immediately got excited, remembering that he was coming back to desk duty. She smiled back at him. “I can’t wait to have you back at 51. That means I get a full 24 hours with you.”

He kissed her once more before he headed towards her door. Right when he opened it, he looked back at her. “Sylvie, now that I have settled the sex topic, why don’t you decide if, and how, you want to tell everyone at 51 about us?”


	25. Casey Comes Back to 51

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their talk, Casey and Brett head back to work at 51. What will she decide when it comes to letting everyone know about them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 25! For those of you who are following this story, I appreciate you taking this journey with me. Unlike my first story, I have no end in sight, even though I know abotu some big things that are coming. For those of you who are leaving comments and kudos, those are appreciated as always.

Sylvie slept a little better that night, but not by much. For some reason, she couldn’t get her mind to shut off. She would think about Matt and their conversation from earlier, and then would move on to helping him find a place to live and then finding one for her too. She knew based on their conversation tonight, the last thing she needed to do was to bring up the possibility of them living together. In her heart, though, that is exactly what she wanted.

Based on the talk they had, she knew that the two of them had feelings for each other for almost a year, which just staggered her. More than that, it also meant she had lost of year of being with him because she was scared. She didn’t know how to balance the two, but she also was certain she didn’t want to take things TOO slow with him. She already wanted every minute she could get with him and she knew already it was only going to get worse the harder she fell for him.

_________________

Across town, Matt rolled onto his other side for the 50th time. He expected this to happen, and anything short of her lying beside him wasn’t going to help him sleep better. He figured that she was right, what she said earlier about them being comfortable together. Of course they would be, because he had spent the last year learning as much as he could about her. But what she hadn’t understood, is that part of the reason he was so comfortable with her was because he was falling for her fast and hard. He looked over at his clock, seeing it was a little past 2am. _Well, tomorrow is going to be a grind for sure._

_But seeing her will at least make it better._

__________________

At 6:45am, Severide pulled up to 51 with Kidd and Casey in tow. He had shared with both of them the night before that he was going to start looking for a place to live, just so they wouldn’t be surprised when it happened. Of course, Kidd had immediately asked him if he planned on asking Brett to move in with him. His answer about that had led Kidd to lecture him for 10 minutes about not sitting on his ass again.

As he walked into the firehouse, he was greeted by his fellow firefighters and squad members. He shook hands and received pats on the back, until he got to the end of the line. Surprisingly, while the Chief shook his hand he got pulled him into a man hug.

“Let’s try not to scare us like that again, okay Captain?”

Casey nodded, touched by his boss’s words. Because of his family situation growing up, Wallace Bodden was the closest thing to a father figure he had ever had. He would do anything to make him proud, and staying safe would definitely be at the top of his priority list from here on out.

“Copy that Chief.”

He had just gotten back to his quarters to store his bag when Brett walked past him. She quickly looked to see if anyone was near before she spoke. “Good morning Captain. Did you sleep as poorly as I did last night?”

His smile lit up his face. It made him feel better to know that they were in the same place. “Yes, I did. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a beautiful blonde angel visit me like I had the other night.”

She laughed, her face blushing, before she turned and headed towards the locker room.

It made him feel lighter just knowing that she was in the same vicinity as him.

________________

After roll call, Casey returned to his quarters. For some reason, it seemed like no one knew how to fill out paperwork besides him. He chuckled to himself, before he sat down and pulled the first file folder from the VERY large stack.

He had only been working for about 15 minutes when Sylvie appeared at his door. She knocked lightly on the door frame before leaning against it. “Wow, that’s a lot of paperwork.”

He smiled at her, leaning back in his chair. “Yes it is.”, he replied, before lowering his voice. “And, you are beautiful.”

She blushed at his comment. _God I want to kiss him,_ she thought, before pushing the thought out of her head. “Chief wants to see you when you get a minute.”

He stood up and followed her as they walked towards his office. When they got there, she headed towards 61 while he turned left for the Chief’s office.

He saw that the Chief was on the phone, so he waited outside. After a few minutes, he heard Bodden hang up the phone and call him in.

“Chief”, he said. “Brett said you wanted to see me?”

Instead of the man hug, Bodden pulled Casey into a full out hug. 

“Casey, I am so happy for you?”

Matt looked at his boss, not having any idea what was happening.

“Uh, thanks I guess?”, he replied.

Bodden motioned for Casey to have a seat in one of his chairs, while he went back and took his seat beside his desk. “I just can’t think of two people who are a better match than you and Brett, Matt.”

The Captain was floored. First, it was that Sylvie had told the Chief about them, and second that Bodden had used his first name.

“I…I…I didn’t know she was going to say anything sir. It literally just happened. I promise I was going to tell you when I thought the time was right.”

The Chief’s hand waved off his apology. “Casey, I don’t care about that. I am just happy for the two of you. You both have been through so much…it’s just good to know that you both have each other’s backs.”

The two men talked for 5 more minutes, during which time the Chief had to call Donna to share the news with her. When Casey walked, out, not only was his relationship with Sylvie public, but they had also been invited to the Bodden’s house for dinner as soon as everyone’s schedule aligned.

___________________

He found her in the bullpen, sitting at a table talking with Violet. He stood, waiting to catch her attention, trying not to make anything TOO obvious. When she looked his way, he threw his head back towards his quarters. Brett excused herself from her current partner and started walking to catch up with Casey.

Violet, on the other hand, leaned back in her chair, smiling.

As soon as she was in his quarters, he shut the door, pulling her into a deep kiss. When he finally pulled back, he took in her smiling face.

“I can’t believe you told the Chief, Sylvie.” He was happy, but honestly stunned at this latest development.

She sat down on his cot while he opened his door back up. He sat in his chair, pulling it closer to her.

“I’m sorry, I just couldn’t help myself. After we talked last night, I just decided that I wanted to be all in with you too. When you told me to decide how I wanted to let everyone know, I tried to think of the perfect way, but never could. This morning after roll call, I just said “screw it”, and went to see the Chief.”

He leaned back, taking in the amazing woman that sat in front of him. The amazing woman, he might add, that never ceased to surprise him. “Well, I am fine with everyone knowing if you are. Oh, by the way, we have been invited to the Boddens for dinner as soon as we can arrange it.

______________________

The rest of the shift was uneventful. Ambulance 61 was busier than the rest of the house, as they always were. Matt made a point to find Brett before she left on a call, if only to see her once before she left the house. When 81 went out, that was what hurt him the most. He knew from experience that any call could be someone’s last, and it pained him to have to stay behind, not being able to take care of the men and woman who served under his command.

By 10pm, things had settled down. Surprisingly, word about Brett and Casey had not gotten out yet. Kidd and Severide knew, of course, and now the Chief, but if anyone else knew something, they weren’t obvious about it.

Matt was still working on paperwork, trying to clear the back log as soon as possible. He knew from experience that there would be a fresh new stack for him two days from now when he came back. Sylvie came back to his quarters shortly after 10:30 and laid down on his cot. She mentioned something about being able to smell him. He didn’t know if that was a good or bad thing, but all he knew was that she was out like a light in a matter of minutes.

He took a break from the paperwork, just watching her sleep. Cruz walked by his open door and saw Brett lying there. He looked at Casey, with one eyebrow raised, questioning what was going on. Thinking quickly, Casey mouthed the word “headache” back to him, hoping to throw him off the trail until they could talk. Sometime after 1130, Casey laid his head down on his desk, joining Brett in sleep.

For once in a long while, none of the vehicles had been called out that night. When Brett woke up the next morning, it took her a second to figure out where she was. When she did, she looked up, trying to find Matt. For some reason, he wasn’t in his quarters, but he immediately came back into view, walking back in with two cups of coffee. They sat and drank in silence before she spoke.

“Babe, are you really okay that I told the Chief about us?”

He smiled at her, a genuine smile that made her heart flutter. “Of course. I am okay with telling anyone you want. So far, I must say, all of your decisions about us have been pretty spot on.”

She laughed before taking another sip of coffee. “Did you get any sleep?”

“I actually did. Even though you weren’t beside me, the fact that you were close made me feel better. I don’t know if that makes any…”

“Oh trust me, I understand.”, she replied, cutting him off.

For a moment they sat there, lost in each other’s eyes. The urge to kiss him again was starting to grow, so glanced down at her coffee.

“Do you want to go look at some places to rent today?”, she asked.

His smile returned at her offer. “Of course. Do you need to go home first?”

She shook her head. “No, I am ready to go whenever you are. Just so you know, when you left my place last night, I spent a few hours on Zillow. I have about 10-15 places already picked out.”

He nodded in agreement. _Of course she had already found a bunch of places already,_ he thought. _Looking at places to live was right up her alley._

Sylvie got up and headed to the locker room to change, while Casey threw some necessary items in his bag. She had said something that bothered him. Not a lot, but a little. It was just something that had been nagging him since he was with her yesterday, helping her box up her apartment. 

She had said “when you left my place”. He didn’t know why that bothered him, but it did. He promised himself right then to change the “my” to “our” as soon as he possibly could.


	26. Searching for a place for Casey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brett has picked out some potential housing options for Casey. Will she be able to find one that he likes?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 26! Thanks to all of you who have made comments and kudos...I appreciate you more than you know. This chapter marks the end of the PG portion of the story. As I mentioned a while back, things will start to get steamier starting with the next chapter and beyond.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

As soon as shift ended, Casey walked out with Brett towards her car. The two of them received a strange look from Hermann who saw them come out together.

“Hey, where are you two going?”, Hermann asked.

Casey started to respond, but Brett beat him to the punch. “I am taking Casey out to breakfast and then we are going to find him a new place to live.” Matt looked over at her, surprised at her honesty. He had seen her be brave numerous times, but most of those were in the field. In her personal life, she was normally more shy and reserved. For some reason, she wasn’t reserved about the two of them. Just knowing that made his heart beat faster.

“Good for you Case!”, Hermann happily replied back to them. “Good luck today. Remember, if you don’t find anything, we still have the empty apartment above our garage.”

Brett and Casey got in her car. She started heading towards a diner she liked when she looked over at him. “Just so you know, I didn’t lie to Hermann. I really am taking you out for breakfast.”

He returned her smile, happy in the fact that, for the next few hours at least, it would be just the two of them.

____________________

They had already been seated, ordered, and received their food when he looked over at her. She was eating her bacon, but was lost in thought. He didn’t know why, though. 

“What’s going on it that head of yours?”, he asked playfully.

She looked towards him, catching his gaze. She hadn’t realized it, but she had been lost in her own world for the last few minutes.

“Nothing major. I was just thinking about something…maybe I should talk to Cindy and Hermann about renting their spare room?”

Casey tried to sound happy at that idea, but internally he wasn’t. He had been fighting the impulse to ask her to move in with him. He knew it was too soon. Hell, they had only gone on 1 official date, but something about it just felt right. A part of him also worried that if she moved and got set up somewhere else, would she be as apt to accept his offer if it involved uprooting her life again, even it was to move in with him?

“It’s a really nice place.”, he answered. He was trying to be positive, but it was hard. “I know Cindy would love to have another babysitter close by.”

She could tell something was off, just by the tone of his voice. _Would he really rather me move in with Severide and Kidd than with the Hermanns?_ She didn’t know exactly what was bothering him, but she decided she needed to dig a little deeper into the subject while they were out today.

______________________

As they got out of her car to see the first rental, Sylvie immediately knew that she was going to enjoy today. Matt took her hand, locking his fingers in hers, as they walked up to the first apartment on the list. He didn’t let go of her hand the majority of the time they were looking at the space. It seemed like he wanted to hear what she thought as much as she wanted to know what his gut said. After spending 5 minutes in Apartment #1, they both knew it wasn’t right. It reminded both of them of Kelly’s loft and she knew he wanted something different than that.

The same thing repeated itself on numbers 2-5. On #3, they hadn’t even made it past the curb before they turned around and left.

“Babe, why don’t you tell me what you are looking for exactly. Maybe that will help me narrow it down?”, she said, trying to be helpful.

His lips were pursed as he caught her gaze before he responded, “I honestly don’t know Sylvie. It’s one of those things that I think we will just know when we see it.”

She started the car, heading for listing #6. The entire way there, though, all she could think about was his use of the word “we”. _Maybe we really are thinking the same thing when it comes to living together?_

___________________

Listing #6 was horrible. It was so bad, in fact, they had just stayed in the car, not bothering to get out. While she was looking to see where #7 was at, she heard his phone chime. He opened it up and read something. He turned to her, smiling. 

“Hey, why don’t you head to 674 Walnut Circle?”

She wanted to ask where that address came from, but resisted. Instead, she put her silver sedan in drive and they were off to look at this mystery location.

What they found when they got there took her breath away. It wasn’t an apartment, nor was it a condo or townhouse…it was an actual house. She looked over at Matt, her mouth wide open.

Astonished, she asked, “Where did this idea come from?”.

He gently laughed. “Well, when I met with the Chief this morning about you and me, I also mentioned that I was looking for my own place to live. He said that a lady that Donna works with had a house, or knew someone who had a house, that they were looking to sell. He just texted me the address.”

They both got out of her car and stood on the sidewalk, taking the house in. It was definitely an older home, but it had the look of a normal Chicago home. It was a brick two story home, with a driveway that went beside the house and back to a single car garage. A garage that had definitely seen better days, she thought. It had a very small front yard, with steps leading up from the sidewalk towards the front door. A front door that also had a small sitting area immediately to the left of it. A large picture window in the front greeted them, which Sylvie knew would let in a lot of light. Best of all, it seemed to be in a really nice neighborhood.

As that sat there admiring it, an older woman opened the door and came walking down the steps. 

“You must be Captain Casey.”, she said while shaking both of their hands. “I’m Deidra. I work with Donna over at the school.”

“It’s nice to meet you ma’am. I really appreciate you taking time out of your day to let us come over and take a look at the house.”, Casey said. He already had a good feeling about this house, and he could tell by the way Sylvie was looking at it that she did too.

As they followed Donna’s co-worker up the steps, she proceeded to fill them in on the house. 

“This house is 5 bedrooms and a 2 ½ baths. I believe my sister said it had about 2700 square feet, but we would have to check that out. My sister lived her for 30 years before…well, before she passed.”

They could both see Deidra starting to tear up. Brett reached out and placed her hand on the woman’s shoulder. “I am so sorry for your loss.” 

Surprisingly, Deidra reached and hugged the paramedic. The two stood there, hugging each other, whispering in the other’s ear. When they broke, the older woman patted Sylvie’s cheek. “Sweetie, I am so sorry for your loss too.”

Matt just stood there in awe of the amazing woman Sylvie was. Somehow, she had been able to not only console the older woman but also found a common ground with her. He guessed it shouldn’t have surprised him, because she did the exact same thing at 51 all the time. For some reason, though, it only made his feelings for her grow.

“I’m sorry about that, Captain.”, Deidra said while taking a seat on the front step. “Why don’t you two go in and have a look around. I will be out here if you have any questions.”

________________

They had only taken a few steps in before Matt could see it all. The house felt…well, it felt like a home should. It was warm and inviting. He let his imagination run wild. Images of he and Sylvie, children, a dog, the whole nine yards. He just let the mind wander and overwhelm him.

Sylvie was lost in her own world too. This house needed work, sure, but something about it just felt right. She could picture a Christmas tree in front of the large picture window. With 5 bedrooms, she knew that there would be plenty of space for future additions to the family. She quickly shook her head, trying to drive those thoughts from her head. She internally scolded herself. _You have been on ONE date with Matt. Why are you thinking like this?_

However, it only took her looking over at Matt to see he was thinking the same thing. Wonder showed over his face, like he was playing out all the thoughts she had in her mind in his as well. She put her hand on his cheek, getting his attention. When she had it, she stood on her toes and softly kissed him.

When her lips left his, he just smiled at her. “Let’s go see the rest of the house.”

They spent the better part of an hour in the house, looking around. They internally made a list of what would need to be repaired or replaced, while Matt kept a running tally on his phone’s calculator. At one point, Brett went back outside and sat with Deidra, talking about Donna, the rest of owner’s family, and life in general. When Casey came back out, his expression had turned more serious. Sylvie was about to stand up and head back to the car to let them speak privately when he grabbed her hand.

“Deidra, I think…”, he paused, looking at Sylvie, who simply noded at him, “that this house is perfect. I know you don’t have time for me to do a full inspection today, but I would like to come back by soon if that is okay with you. In the meantime, here is my card. My cell phone number is on the back, so just text me when you are free and we can discuss numbers.”

Before they left, Deidra hugged both of them. She stood back, taking them in. “Well, Donna said you two would make a cute couple, but I told her I would have to see you two in person to believe it. I certainly do believe it now!”

__________________

When they got back in Sylvie’s car, they both waved as they left. Matt turned and was about to say something to Brett, but he noticed that she seemed very focus. They had been on the road for about 10 minutes before he finally broke the silence.

“Where are we headed Sylvie?”

She quickly looked at him, a devilish smile forming on her lips. She reached over with her right hand, letting it rest on top of his hand that he had resting on his knee. “To your place.”

With the look she just gave him, he knew he would go to the end of the earth with her. He turned his hand over, letting his middle finger glide slowly over her palm. _Please let Severide and Kidd not be home,_ he prayed.


	27. Desire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After spending the morning looking for houses, something inside Sylvie is triggered. The only cure for this is Matt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 27! Things are starting to heat up between Matt and Sylvie, and this chapter begins that arc. I have bumped the rating up to mature, which certainly won't be every chapter, but will be sprinkled in here and there. As one other fanfic writer said, this is the smut chapter. Hope you enjoy!

Matt had no idea what had come over Sylvie, but if knew that looking at a house to live in would have made her squeeze his hand like this before, he would have made a point to go to every open house in the city. He reached out with his free hand, firing off a text to Severide, praying he would be somewhere else right now.

When he saw his friend’s reply, he knew they would have the loft to themselves.

As soon as Sylvie pulled her car into the loft’s parking spot, she leaned over her console, searching for Matt’s lips. The way his finger had been running over her palm for the last 10 minutes had put her desire for him into overdrive. Her lips met his, and she felt his mouth open so that his tongue could find hers. There was nothing soft or innocent about this kiss. This one was all passion and need. He pulled away from her causing her eyebrows to shoot up in surprise.

“Upstairs…now.”, was all he could get out. 

They literally ran out of her car and into the building. As soon as they were in the elevator, he pulled her to him, practically overwhelming her with the force of his kiss. The were lost in their own thoughts, in the feelings and emotions they were experiencing, until they heard the bell of the elevator reaching his floor. 

She took her hand, literally pulling him to his door.

“Are Kidd and Severide here?”, she asked breathlessly.

“No”, he replied, trying to get his key out of his pocket. “I texted him to make sure on our way over here.”

As soon as the door was open, he turned towards her, just in time to catch her as she jumped and wrapped her legs around his waist. He walked them inside easily, a fact that shouldn't have amazed her, but did. She knew Casey was strong, but knowing he was THIS strong, and being able to feel his muscles against her chest, turned her on even more. He kicked the door shut with his foot, locked it, and started to carry her back to his bedroom.

“Not your bedroom,” she said quickly, trying to keep some semblance of sanity over the way he was driving her crazy by nibbling her neck. “If we go to your bedroom, I won’t be able to resist fucking you.”

Casey’s mouth left her neck in a flash. He looked at her, a silly grin on his face. “Sylvie, I don’t know if I have ever heard you cuss.”

She pulled him back to her neck. “I only cuss when I am in the bedroom…or if you keep doing what you are doing to me.”

He walked them over to the couch before sitting on it. She was straddling him now, and she could feel his erection against her ass. _Holy shit can I feel it._ She bent her head down and found his lips again. They explored each other’s mouths for what seemed like minutes, until he finally broke for air.

They both could see the lust written in the other’s eyes. Part of him desperately wanted to make love to her, but he knew she wasn’t ready. He made his mind up in that moment to do whatever he could to make her feel good, just short of that.

Sylvie, on the other hand, was quickly rethinking her decision about going to Casey’s bed. Everything he was doing felt SO good, and she could only imagine what it would be like to have him inside of her. For a second, she thought about saying something, but all she could do was moan as his mouth went to work on her neck again, his kisses slowly working their way down to the top of her chest.

He moved his hand underneath the back of her sweater, letting it run over the skin of the small of her back, all the way up her spine to the clasp of her bra. It felt as if sparks were flying off her skin at any place he touched. For a second, she thought he was going to unhook her bra, but he changed direction and worked his hand back down her spine.

She took that moment to unbutton his shirt, getting it 2 buttons lower than he had originally had it. That left her just enough room to pull it back so that both of her hands could rub his chest. She was rubbing his chest, lost in the kisses he was placing on her shoulder blade, when she felt his right hand go over the back pocket of her jeans, cupping her butt. The sensation of his hand made her grind onto him, causing him to moan. 

She didn’t know why, but knowing that SHE caused him to moan worked her up even more. She continued to move slowly on top of him while kissing his neck. 

“God Sylvie, you feel amazing.”

“You aren’t too bad yourself Matt.”

They continued like they were for several more minutes. A few minutes where she felt like she was about to lose control. She didn’t want him to stop, but she knew if they didn’t, she would have no choice but to take him back to his bed and ravish him.

All of the sudden, she sat upright, grabbing his forearms. “I need some water.”, she said, voicing the first thing that had flashed in her mind to give them a moment to cool off.

His confusion was evident, but he just smiled and kissed her quickly. “Knock yourself out.”

She stood up, not even bothering to adjust her sweater and jeans, which were now completely off kilter. She walked quickly over to the refrigerator and opened it, trying to find some water bottles.

Matt watched her the entire time. When she bent over to look for the water bottles, the view he took in killed any ounce of willpower he had. He stood up and silently walked behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He started to nipple on her ear, slowly working his way back down to her shoulder blade.

Sylvie was surprised to feel his hands around her. Obviously, this wasn’t the break she was looking for, but good lord did his mouth feel good on her skin. The heat from his mouth and body, coupled with the cold air from the refrigerator, caused goose bumps to form on her skin. She tried to turn around, but he held her in place. She sighed loudly, until she felt his left hand reach under the front of her sweater. The callousness of his hands sent shock waves across every piece of smooth skin they encountered. He eventually reached her breast, massaging it through her bra. 

“Oh God…”, she moaned, lost in the sensation. She could only turn her head, but when she did she found his lips waiting for her. Their kiss was everything she needed…full of desire and longing. She was so lost in their kiss that she didn’t feel his right hand unsnap her jeans until she heard the sound of her button coming apart. She thought about stopping him, but she wasn’t sure if she had ever been this wet before. She needed him to touch her. 

He started to unzip her jeans until he felt her hand force his out of the way, her need to do it overwhelming his. He smiled into their kiss, snaking his hand under the elastic boundary of her panties until his middle finger ran the length of her. She quickly broke their kiss, not able to control herself anymore.

“Fuck baby…”

He was about to say something when he felt her hand grab his member, slowly stroking it through his jeans. 

“Sylvie…”, he moaned, amazed that he seemed to get harder under her touch.

She could feel her orgasm building, like an earthquake that was slowly rolling in. His middle finger entered her, slowly curling inside her, sending her higher yet again. His other hand pushed her bra up, freeing her breast to his bare hand. He took her nipple in between his fingers, slowly massaging it. She felt like she was going into sensory overload. Between his kisses and his hands, she couldn’t stop the tidal wave that was about to hit her. As soon as she thought she couldn’t take anymore, his thumb rocked over her clit.

That was all it took, and she felt her entire world come crashing down around her. Her legs went weak, and if it wasn’t for his arms, she was sure she would have ended up on the floor. When his thumb went back over her clit again, she felt like she blacked out for a moment, her body not able to handle the spasms she was experiencing.

For the next few moments, time stood still. He kept his arm around her waist, trying to keep her from falling. Once she felt her spasms stop, she stood gingerly on her feet and turned to kiss him, long and hard. They were about to come up for air when they heard the sound of keys on the other side of the front door. Quickly, Matt moved Sylvie in front of the open refrigerator door as she put her hands on the top of it to support her. 

A second later, Severide came in. He glanced at the Casey, standing behind Brett at the fridge, instantly knowing he had walked in on something. He winked at Casey and quickly walked back to his bedroom and closed the door.

As soon as she heard his door shut, Brett, zipped and buttoned her jeans before rearranging her bra. She turned and looked up at Matt, blushing. She wasn’t sure what had just happened, but she knew it was amazing. His face, though, told her everything she needed to know. He gazed at her, not with embarrassment. Nor was his face filled with lust or desire like he had a minute ago. He looked at her with love. She wrapped her arms around him before kissing him softly.

“Now you see why I need my own place Sylvie.”

She laughed at his words, still trying to gain control over her emotions.

“Well Captain. That was incredible. Or more accurately, you are incredible.”

His smile grew at her words. A feeling came over him that he couldn’t describe, something he had never felt before. But when it hit him, he knew exactly what it was.

He was in love with Sylvie Brett.


	28. Misunderstandings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brett and Casey spent time at his loft, lost in their desire. Then Matt came a realization. Will Sylvie understand, or will his words have the opposite effect?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 28! Thanks to all of you who are leaving comments and kudos. I appreciate every single one of them. Just like Chicago Fire, not everything runs in a straight line and sometimes fear outweighs reason. Hope you enjoy!

He stood there looking at her, trying to grasp the realization that just hit him.

_I am in love with Sylvie Brett._

For some reason, she couldn’t read his face like she normally could. She could feel her uneasiness grow as she pushed her hair back over her ears. She worried if she had scared him with how aggressive she had been a few minutes ago. Or worse yet, he was disappointed that she wasn’t ready for them to have sex yet. She wasn’t sure, but she could feel her fear replace the warmth she had just experienced.

After a few seconds, he shook his head, trying to clear all of the thoughts that were washing over him. He forced a smile at her, seeing her nervous tendencies come out. He reached out and took her hands in his.

“Why don’t you let me take you to lunch, Sylvie?”

Her smile partially returned, but she was still having trouble matching his words to his expression. “Sounds good babe.”

She excused herself to go to his bathroom. As she headed that way, she walked past his bed. Part of her still wanted to be in his bed with him, but after seeing his expression, she wasn’t sure what he was feeling anymore. She quickly cleaned up before walking back out to the living area.

Casey was drying his hands, waiting on her. He had a grocery bag in his hand with something in it, but he didn’t say anything about it, so she didn’t ask. He simply took her hand and they were off to her car.

__________________

On the way to the diner, they both rode in silence. Casey was trying to come to grips with the fact he was in love with the amazing woman who was driving them. Brett, on the other hand, saw her nervousness increase every minute they didn’t speak. When she parked, they got out and started walking to the restaurant. She was somewhat surprised when Matt grabbed her hand, holding it as they walked in.

They had just been seated, with their drink orders taken, when Sylvie broke the silence.

“I am sorry, Matt.”

Immediately, she saw confusion cloud his expression. Cluelessly, he asked, “What on earth are you sorry about?”.

She chewed on her lip before replying. “For what just happened. I’m sorry if I scared you, I…”

Sylvie felt his hand cover hers, his gaze locked on her. “Sylvie, you didn’t scare me. I loved how you were…well, what we did…well, you know.”, he replied, trying to find the right words.

She let her shoulders fall in relief. “I just didn’t know if you were mad because I didn’t want to go back to your bedroom with you. Or if my, well, aggression, scared you.”

Leaving his side of the booth, Casey stood up and scooted beside Sylvie on her side of the table. He partially turned so he could look directly into her eyes. “Sweetheart, nothing could be farther from the truth.”

He leaned closer to her, not wanting anyone to overhear their conversation. “I thought you were sexy as hell in my apartment.” He let his hand reached behind him, massaging his neck. “As for sex, we talked about that earlier. I am fine waiting until we are both ready.”

She leaned over, letting her head rest on his shoulder. “Trust me, babe, I think we both could tell just how ready we were a little while ago.”

They laughed softly at her statement, a fact that was VERY obvious to both of them. He let his arm fall behind her, pulling her softly into a hug. He got up and went back to his side of the booth. Even with their short talk, she could still tell something was off with him. On the other side of the table, he could still see how nervous she was. He was about to ask what else was bothering her when she started speaking.

“There are just some things you don’t know about me Matt.”

He was about to ask what she meant, when the waitress delivered their food. Instead of eating, she kept going.

“I have never told anyone this, except for Gabby.” She winced immediately at the sound of his ex’s name rolling off her lips, quickly looking to see Matt’s reaction. Surprisingly, he didn’t seem affected by it.

“When Antonio and I were together, there was a day when I thought I might be pregnant.”

That news caused Casey to lean back against his booth, the physical distance between them growing.

“I wasn’t, of course, but that whole situation scared me. I wasn’t sure what he and I were, and I definitely wasn’t sure if I wanted to have a baby with someone when I wasn’t sure we had a future together.”

Brett could hear her heart telling her to stop talking, but for some reason the words just kept pouring out of her.

“Then with Kyle, I knew it would have been different, because we were engaged, but our relationship never got that far.”

She looked up at Casey, immediately knowing that he was trying to process everything she had just said.

“It really comes down to this Matt. After Antonio, I promised myself that I would take things slow when it came to sex, unless I absolutely knew where I stood with the other person.”

The hurt her comment caused Casey was immediately evident. _Shit_ , she thought. _What am I doing?_

She took a deep breath before continuing. “I know we are crazy about each other, but I just want to be sure about us before we take that next step.” She paused, waiting to hear him speak. When he didn’t, she added, “Does that make sense.”

He aimlessly pushed a french fry across his plate. He was trying to take in everything she just said. Of course he knew that Sylvie had relationships before him, but that didn’t mean that the revelation of them didn’t sting a little. He opened his mouth to speak, but quickly closed it when he realized he didn’t know what to say.

_Does she not believe the feelings I have for her are real?_

He looked up, seeing the worry on her face. He quickly tried to ease her mind. “Sylvie, I appreciate you telling me all this. I really do.”

She slowly nodded before looking down at her plate. She started to eat her sandwich, not sure what response she was actually hoping to get from Matt, only knowing that what he said wasn’t it.

Casey cursed himself. He had never been good with words, and when he needed them now, they had failed him again. He knew he needed to tell her he loved her, but he didn’t want the first time he said it to be like this. Not as some defense of her questioning how he felt about her. He was about to attempt to explain himself to her, but saw her start to eat his sandwich. Dejectedly, he looked down at his plate and started to eat too. They finished their meal without another word being said. A few times they would catch the other looking at them, but even that didn’t bring a smile.

___________________

Matt paid the bill, eliciting the first word from her in the last 10 minutes. “Thank you for lunch.”

He took her hand as they walked back out to her car. For some reason, she wasn’t squeezing his hand like before. 

“Do you need me to take you back to the loft?”, she asked.

He let his head fall to his chest, immediately knowing that she didn’t want to spend anymore time with him today. He looked back at her with heavy eyes. “No, I think I might walk home. It’s not that far.”

She stood there, knowing that the amazing start to their day was going to end up much different than she wanted. She wanted to spend the day with him. She wanted them to cuddle on the couch and share kisses. She wanted to tell him that she wanted to move in with him, not with the Hermanns. She wanted to apologize again about earlier, because she still thought she scared and disappointed him, even though he said it didn’t.

He reached for her, pulling her into his arms. He desperately wanted to tell her that he loved her, but he didn’t want the first time he said it to be in a diner parking lot. She deserved better than that, and maybe each of them being alone could help them figure that out.

When she broke the hug, he looked down at her. Her eyes were glassy, and he was about to say something when she turned and walked to her car. Right before she got in her car, Casey yelled at her.

“I’m sorry Sylvie.”

She turned, taking in his words. She laid her head against her open car door, wishing it was his shoulder. She needed to go home and deconstruct what had just happened…and more importantly, where they would go from there.

“Me too Matt.”

____________________

She was home 5 minutes later. She parked her car and reached back to retrieve her purse from the back floorboard. Just then, she saw the grocery bag Matt had brought with him. She opened it, not knowing what she was going to find. Inside the bag were two things. The first was a note a note to her. The second was his t-shirt that she had worn the morning they had slept in his bed.

Bringing the shirt to her face, she breathed in the same scent that always calmed her. She turned the note over in her hand, reading it.

_Sylvie,_

_Here’s a little something to help you sleep. At least those times when I am not with you._

_Matt_

A tear gently rolled down her face. This gift was just like him….sweet and giving. She screamed at herself for letting everything get out of control today. For a moment, she thought about driving back to find him, but ultimately decided not to. She didn’t know if she could look at him at him again today, believing that he was disappointed in her. _What would he say if he saw me that he couldn’t say a few minutes ago?_

Casey was still standing in the parking lot, trying to remember every detail from today and where it all went wrong. He had remembered his first Chaplain telling him to never let the person you love go to bed upset, without at least TRYING to work out the problem. That philosophy had never worked with Gabby, as she would go days without even talking to him. He decided in that moment not to make the same mistake again. He turned around and started walking towards her apartment.

____________________

The container of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream sat beside her on her couch. As soon as she had gotten home, she threw off everything she had on, replacing it with his shirt. After that, she had gotten the ice cream and collapsed on the couch. She hadn’t cried yet, but she knew she could start anytime now. She pulled the blanket up to her chin, trying without success to replicate the warmth he gave her. Every image of him that floated through her mind brought her closer to breaking down. She turned on the TV, hoping to take her mind off of him, but it hadn’t worked yet. She wouldn’t have been able to tell you what was even on if you asked her. 

She had been sitting there for longer than she cared to know, lost in her thoughts. About him. About them. About her past. She tried to convince herself everything would be okay tomorrow, but she was having trouble believing it. At that moment, she heard a knock on her door.

_Who could that be?_

She thought about not answering it, but knew she had to, as the knocking was not stopping. She got up and walked over to the door before looking through the peephole. What she saw took her breath away.

She unhooked the chain from the door, turning the knob to crack the door. She stuck her head through, taking him in.

“Matt, what are you doing here?”

His hands were jammed in his pants, showing his nervousness. He had no idea what he was going to say, but he knew he needed to see her. To talk to her. To tell her how I feel.

“Sylvie, my first Chaplain at the CFD told me to never let the woman I love go to bed mad…to always try to fix whatever was wrong. I didn’t follow his advice the first time, but I don’t want to make the same mistake with you.”

She cracked the door more, letting him slip through and into her apartment. She had no idea what else she could say to him now, especially when she was close to crying BEFORE he showed up. She turned to face him when his words hit her heart.

He could see her expression change, knowing she understood. He walked over to her, taking both of her hands in his. He looked down at her, seeing tears fall down her cheek. He prayed that FOR ONCE, the right words would come to him.

“Sylvie Brett….I am in love with you.’

Looking up at him, a smile formed on her face.

“I am not telling you this to get you in bed or to make you forgive me. I am telling you because I realized it today, and I knew there was no way in hell I was going home without telling you how I feel about you. Not anymore.”

Her eyes found his, part of her not believing his words. “You love me?”

Nodding, he pulled her closer. “Yes. I am 100%, head over heels, completely in love with you Sylvie. It hit me today after Severide interrupted us at the refrigerator.”

_So that was what his expression was about!_

“I don’t want you to feel like you need to say it back either, Sylvie. I just had to let you know.”

Leaning up, she pulled his lips down to meet hers. When they moved apart, he saw she still had tears running down her cheek. He took his thumb, rubbing a tear from her face. “I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

Her smile was back, her eyes sparkling through her tears. “Babe, I am crying because I am happy. I am crying because I am in love with you too.”


	29. We are in love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sylvie and Matt just expressed their feelings for each other. But, will the love they share overcome everything that the world has to throw at them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 29! Thanks to all of you who are reading this story. We just crossed 7,000 hits, which leaves me in awe. In addition, all of your comments and kudos mean the world to me. I really like hearing what each of you have to say about how this story is progressing. Hope you enjoy!

When he heard her tell him that she loved him too, he pulled her into an embrace. They clung to each other, neither one wanting to let the other go. They both knew that the feelings they had expressed would change everything going forward. 

After a minute of her hug, he locked his arm around her waist, lifting her feet off the ground. At that point she knew she had to tell him something.

“Um, Matt baby…you may want to let me go get dressed first before you start picking me up.”

He set her back down and leaned back, seeing red rush to her still wet cheeks. He looked down at her, seeing what he had missed before.

_All she has on is my t-shirt._

He immediately stepped back, releasing her from his grasp. “I’m sorry. I…I didn’t even notice that when I came in.”

Leaning up, she softly kissed him, before turning to head towards her bedroom. Matt thought that if the view he had of her bending over at his refrigerator earlier was good, this one blew that one out of the water. As she walked away, he could see her sinewy legs glide across the carpet, causing his pulse to quicken. He knew she exercised, but if spin class did that to her legs, he briefly wondered what the rest of her body looked like.

Shaking those thoughts from his head, he went and sat on the couch, pulling the blanket she had left there over him.

_Maybe this will hide how badly I want her,_ he thought.

Sylvie came back out to the living area a few minutes later, luckily having put sweat pants on. Matt knew already if he had to look at her legs for another minute, he was a goner. She sat beside him on the couch. They took their time, discussing everything that had happened since they had left his loft. She told him how unnerved she was when she could see his expression change after what happened between them. She really had been worried she had disappointed him some how. He shared how worried he was that she didn’t trust his feelings for her. Within the next few minutes, they both had cleared the air of the emotions that had almost messed up the beautiful relationship they were building.

“Thank you for doing this with me, Sylvie. It’s nice to know that, with you, we can talk about what is bothering us and work things out before they blow up on us later.”

Immediately, she knew he was referring to Gabby. She felt her spirits soar that he appreciated her willingness to talk. That had been a problem before in her relationships, especially with Harrison. She was glad it wouldn’t be that way with him. She was about to respond when his phone chimed.

He quickly grabbed it out of his pocket, checking the text message to make sure it wasn’t important before he would disregard it. What he saw, though, brought a smile to his face. 

“Deidra just texted me what she wants for the house. I can’t believe it, but she only….”

She put her hand on his chest, stopping him. “Babe, you don’t need to tell me if you don’t want to. I know we haven’t gotten to the place yet where we discuss our finances.”

He leaned over, kissing her forehead. “Sylvie, when I just told you I loved you, that means you can know anything you want to about me. I am an open book for you, and money is part of that.”

Leaning her head back against the couch, she tried to think the last time someone had WILLINGLY offered to tell her anything she wanted to know. After trying to remember, she quickly gave up, instead deciding to focus on how different Matt was versus every other man she had known.

“Okay then, if you want me to know, let’s talk.”

Instead of talking, he simply handed her his phone, letting her read it for herself.

Deidra: Matt, I have talked to my sister’s family and they told me they will take $250,000 for the house if you buy it as is. We don’t want to worry about inspections and having to deal with realtors. On top of that, we all like the idea of a cute young couple moving into the neighborhood. I really believe my sister would have liked you and Sylvie. Donna was right, you two really do fit together. Just let me know if you are interested.

After reading the text, she looked up at Casey, trying to read his expression. What she saw was his smile, wide and happy. “Wow babe. What are you going to do?”

He leaned back against the couch too, turning to face her. “First, tell me what you thought about the house. HGTV honesty and all.”

Her laugh calmed him. “The house was amazing. Yes, it needs a lot of work to update it, but it just felt like…well, it just seemed like…”

“A home?”, he replied.

“Exactly.” Her smile got bigger too, happy to know they were on the same page.

His hand came to his chin, rubbing it slowly, as if he was deep in thought. Only a few seconds later, though, he turned to her. “Well then, I guess we just bought a house.”  
___________________________

His words took her by surprise. _We_

Knowing where she was going to go with his answer, he quickly spoke again. “Like we discussed earlier, Sylvie, I wanted to find a place that you would be happy living in as well. I know you might not be ready for that yet, but at least this will leave the door open for that possibility down the road.”

“I don’t mean to pry, but can you afford a house like that?” She hated asking the question, but she could feel herself getting excited about the possibility of living with him in a house. Not an apartment, not a rental, but an actual house.

Nodding to her question, he looked up at the ceiling, mentally calculating numbers. “I can. I still have the insurance money from my condo fire sitting in the bank. My savings has also been growing over the last few years since I really don’t spend a lot of money. So yeah, I can afford it.” He took a breath before continuing. “I got pre-qualified for a mortgage a month ago just in case I found something, and with the work we discussed the house needs, I have no doubt I can make it work.”

She was happy, of course, with this turn of events. Even with that happiness, she felt a twinge of sadness when he switched from “we” to “I” as he discussed the house. Internally, she was struggling over what to say next, over what people would think, over everything. After a few moments of searching her soul, she finally spoke what SHE wanted into the world.

“Matt, what if WE buy the house instead of just you?”

______________________


	30. Texts and texts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sylvie and Matt are happy in love, knowing that they are also going to possibly by a house together. They both know that their relationship is moving VERY fast. Will one of them want to slow things down?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 30! Because you all have made such amazing comments, you get a bonus chapter tonight. Earlier, I felt like I would only get one up today, but you all motivated me to put out 2. Once again, thanks for all the comments and kudos. I appreciate and read every one of them. Hope you enjoy!

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, his lips were on hers. His kiss was hungry, momentarily surprising her, until she found her kiss matching the intensity of his. They lost themselves in their kiss for minutes, until she finally had to come up for air.

Breathless, her voice groaned his name. “Matt.”

His smile formed at her words as she took a moment to collect herself, before she spoke again.

“I just need you to know that I am positive I don’t have as much in my savings as you do.”, she said, trying to regain her thoughts. “So, exactly how would we work this.”

Waving off her concern, he replied, “Sylvie, you don’t even have to use any of your money.”

Immediately, she sat upright, catching his gaze. “Matt, if we do this, then we need to do it together.”

Seeing her earnestness, he leaned back against the couch. “How about this. Let me text Deidra back we want the house first. It will take at least a month to close, so we have plenty of time to sit down and discuss this in more detail.”

Her phone chimed with a new text, stopping her from reading too much into what he just said. She picked up her phone and quickly read the message.

“Well babe, I think Kidd and Severide are feeling left out.” She quickly typed something back before looking up at him. “Kidd wants me and her to go get a drink, and Severide wants his cigar buddy back.”

Casey looked at her. He knew he didn’t want to do anything today but to spend time with her, but maybe a little time apart wasn’t the worst thing. “Sounds good…on one condition.”

She squinted her eyes to him. “And what might that be?”

Reaching out for her hand, he replied. “That we BOTH leave by 9pm and meet back here.”

Brett leaned over and kissed him. She quickly typed another text and hit send. Just then, his phone chimed. “My, but aren't we popular tonight.”, he laughed, pulling his phone out and reading it.

“The Chief and Donna want us to come and have dinner two nights from now. Does that work for you?”

For a second, she was momentarily overwhelmed. She had waited so long for her and Matt to become SOMETHING, and now it seemed like things were moving at warp speed. She took a deep breath and looked back at him. “Yes babe, that would be great. Can we keep the news about the house a secret for a while, though?”

He quickly nodded before texting the Chief back, while she went to her bedroom to get dressed.

___________________

30 minutes later they were back at the loft. They had just walked in when Stella grabbed Sylvie’s arm, leading her right back out. Matt just threw up a wave to her as she went. He found Kelly watching a game on couch, and they proceeded to head upstairs to smoke.

“So, I take it things are going well?”, Severide asked as he lit his cigar.

Matt looked over at him, smiling. “Actually, better than I even dreamed they would.” He paused to inhale his cigar’s smoke before quickly exhaling it. “By the way, you were right.”

Laughing, his best friend turned to look at him. “Right about what?”

“That I should have got off my ass earlier and done something about Sylvie.”

They both laughed at Casey’s admission, quickly switching the topic to anything not related to Sylvie.

_________________

Across town, Brett and Kidd had just sat down at a blues club not far from the loft. Sylvie ordered her rose’, knowing she was going to need it for the interrogation that was about to happen.

“Well, tell me everything!”, Kidd demanded, smiling.

The PIC took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. “Kidd, he is amazing. Being with him is even better than I thought it would be, if that is even possible.”

“YES!”, Kidd yelled, louder than she intended. “So sister, tell me, what is the Captain like in bed?”

Brett immediately turned 5 shades of red. _I should have known Kidd would want to talk about sex._ “We actually haven’t had sex yet.”

Stunned, Kidd leaned back in her chair, not believing her friend. “You are kidding me, right? You two have slept in the same bed multiple times. And today, Kelly swore he thought he walked in on the two of you after SOMETHING had happened.”

She didn’t know how it was possible, but Brett could feel her face blush even MORE than it already was. She leaned across the table to her friend, who took the hint and leaned in closer as well.

“I told Matt I wanted to wait to have sex, and to his credit, he has not pushed me on that yet.” _He certainly hasn’t pushed me,_ she thought, _but he certainly made me cum right before Severide walked in._

Brett knew by the look on Kidd’s face that she didn’t believe her. She was about to say something when Sylvie spoke again.

“I am serious Kidd. He is honoring my wishes.” With that, Brett leaned back, smiling. “But that doesn’t meant we haven’t done….well, some other things.”

Kidd practically jumped out of her chair. “I knew it!”, she said loudly. “Even though Captain isn’t my type, he is certainly too good looking for you to not do ANYTHING to him.”

Letting her devilish grin appear, Brett leaned back over the table. “Oh, I haven’t done anything to him…but he certainly did something to me earlier today.”

They both laughed hysterically at the completely out of character comment by Sylvie. Knowing her friend wouldn’t stop asking questions, she told her exactly what had happened. But only AFTER she swore her to secrecy.

_________________

Two hours later Kidd and Brett returned to the loft with subs for dinner. The four friends ate, laughed, and drank for the better part of an hour. Since it was almost 8pm, Sylvie announced that it was time for her to head home. 

Casey moved back to his bedroom and threw some things of his into a bag. Right as Sylvie was about to head to her car, he came out of his room and took her keys from her hand. “You, my dear, have had too much to drink tonight, so I will drive you home.”

“But you were drinking too!”, she whined without meaning too.

“I had one beer, Sylvie. I will be fine.”

She was about to protest his words, but knew that she was in fact, VERY tipsy. She didn’t even think about Casey’s orders not to drive until they were back in her car. She was getting ready to say something about that when he leaned over her console, kissing her deeply. At that point, she forgot about everything else except how his lips felt on hers.


	31. Taking Sylvie Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After returning from drinks with Kidd and dinner, Casey knows Sylvie has had too much to drink. Going against his doctor's orders, he tells her that he will drive her home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 31! We are now close to 7500 hits, which just blows my mind. As always, I appreciate all of you who take the time to comment and send kudos. Reading some of your comments absolutely make my day. Hope you enjoy!

Matt drove them back to her apartment, not once thinking about his head injury. In truth, the only thing he was thinking about was having his arms around Sylvie again. Once he parked her car, he got out, walking around the car to open her door. She held onto his hand as she got out, stumbling a little bit.

“Yep, I am a little tipsy.”, she laughed.

Reaching in to grab his bag first, he then put his arm around her and walked her to her door. He used her key to unlock her apartment, letting her walk in while he turned to lock and chain her door. When he turned around, she was already heading towards her bedroom. 

Casey stood there, frozen, trying to decided what to do next. _Should I follow her in there, or just wait out here?_ Before he really had any time to come to a decision, she came back out into the living area wearing only his t-shirt again. He groaned to himself, knowing without a doubt that he was going to be hard pressed to restrain himself. He walked over, putting his bag by her bedroom door. He then turned and headed towards the couch where she had just sat, taking the seat next to her. 

As soon as he sat down, she laid her head on his shoulder. “I love you babe.”

He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “And I love you too.”

She reached out and grabbed her blanket, throwing it over the two of them, immediately slowing his pulse. She grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. Of course, her TV was set to HGTV, with this show having something to do with people looking for property that sat on some body of water. They sat in silence for a few moments, trying to catch up with what was going on, when he broke the silence.

“Sylvie, do you worry that we are moving too fast on somethings?”

She could feel her breath catch in her throat. She had just wondered the same thing earlier today. “I don’t know Matt…I really don’t.”

He looked over at her, her eyes still focused on the television. “It’s just…I don’t want to scare you off by moving too fast. It’s crazy to think we have technically still only been on one date.”

Realizing he was right caused her to quickly turn and face him. “Oh my God, we really have only been on one date, haven’t we?”

Casey nodded, with both of them laughing at that fact. He caught her gaze before he continued. “I just need you to say something if you feel like things are moving too fast for you. I have just thought so much about us over the last few months. I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s like I see a future with you and I don’t want to waste any more time.”

Reaching over, she took his hand in hers. “I understand babe. I really do. It’s like I have had these fantasies of you and me, and now that parts of them are coming true, it just feels like we are moving too fast sometimes. But other times, it feels like it isn't fast enough."

Matt pulled her hand up to his mouth, gently kissing the back of it. “That’s exactly it. I just need you to know that I am okay pumping the brakes if you want to. I promise you won’t hurt my feelings.”

She reached up and pulled him down to her lips. Their kiss was soft and gentle. “I will. I promise.” Just when she turned back to face the TV, she heard Matt again.

“Exactly what fantasies are you talking about, Sylvie?”

She swatted his leg, blushing at his question. “The kind of fantasies you have to WAIT and find out about.”

_____________________

Around 10:30, he could feel her dozing off. He moved his shoulder gently, moving her head to wake her. When she woke up, she sleepily smiled at him.

“In the spirit of not moving too fast, do you want me to stay tonight, Sylvie?”

She pushed off the couch so she could reach him, quickly kiss him again. “Of course, I do.”

He stood up, and then helped her to her feet. He turned off the TV as they walked hand in hand towards her bedroom. As soon as they walked in, he realized he had never been in her room before. Immediately, he could feel a gentle nervousness come over him. 

“I am going to use the bathroom first Matt, if you want to get the bed ready."

She walked into her bathroom, closing the door behind her. He took the throw pillows off her bed, part of him wondering why people even bothered putting those things on their bed in the first place. He turned down both sides of the bed while he listened to her hum while she brushed her teeth. A minute later, she came back out.

“Your turn babe.”

Matt grabbed his bag and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He didn’t know what to expect from Sylvie’s bathroom, but he knew this would have been it. There was potpourri in a jar on the counter, and the entire space was immaculate. He used the bathroom before he brushed his teeth as well. After he rinsed, he had an internal debate with himself about what to wear to bed. She knew he normally wore his boxer briefs, but if they were going to try to slow things down a little, should he ONLY wear that? In the end, he threw on his shorts and his t-shirt, deciding he would rather be safe than sorry.

He gently opened the door in case she was already asleep. She was lying on the right side of the bed, facing him, beautiful as ever. She had her eyes closed, but her mouth was moving. _What is she doing,_ he wondered? He didn’t want to scare her, so he gently coughed. She opened her big blue eyes, taking him in. For a second, he swore he could see disappointment streak across her face, but if he did, it was gone in a second. 

“Why are you talking to yourself?”, he asked curiously.

She could feel her cheeks blush. She thought about making something up, but decided to be honest with him. “I was saying my prayers. I say them every night”

In that moment, he swore he loved her more than he had a second ago. He was raised Catholic, but he certainly wasn’t going to mass like he was supposed to. Sylvie, on the other hand, had experienced nothing but loss in the last year, and here she was still saying her prayers. He quickly got into the bed, laying on his side, facing her. He reached out for her hands that were clasped in front of her.

“Can you say them out loud? I would like to hear them.”

His words caused her heart to explode in love. No one in her life, outside of her parents, had ever wanted to hear her pray. Praying, to her, wasn’t necessarily a private experience, but it had become one when the litany of men in her life didn’t care to be part of it with her. Instead of closing her eyes, she squeezed his hand and started again.

“Dear Lord, thank you for giving me a family, who loved me even though they didn’t have to. Please be with my other family, and keep them safe. Please be with Chief Bodden, Severide, Hermann….”

He laid there amazed, as he listened to her pray for every single member of 51. What she said next, though, caused his eyes to become moist.

“And please be with Matt. Keep him safe from harm. I thank you for bringing him into my life, and I pray that you give me the strength and love to make him happy for the rest of his life. Amen.”

When she finished, they both had tears streaming down their faces. He tried to speak, but couldn’t find the words. When words did find him, they came out much softer than normal. “How long have you been praying for me?”, he asked.

Never breaking his gaze, she replied honestly. “For the Casey I work with, when I first joined 51. For the Matt I am in love with, since I was a little girl.”

He tried to find the perfect thing to say to her, but he failed miserably. “Thank you, Sylvie.”

“No, thank you Matt. You are the only person I have ever dated who wanted to hear me pray.”

For a few moments, they did nothing but hold the loving gaze of the other. Each of them could feel the love radiating off the other. He leaned over and kissed her softly, wiping the tears from her face. She reached over and did the same to him. In a few moments, sleep overtook her, and he rested there and watched her, his amazing love, sleep.

He couldn’t grasp how the life he had endured so far could result in her loving him. His entire childhood was something you saw in TV shows, not real life. But as he sat there, looking at her, all of the past he had experienced fell from his mind. He hadn’t prayed in years, but quickly said one now. “Thank you for bringing Sylvie into my life. I promise I will spend the rest of my life being the best man I can be for her if you give me that chance."

As soon as he finished, he joined her in sleep.


	32. Morning at Sylvie's Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Sylvie shared an emotional moment together before they went to sleep. What will the new day have in store for them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 32! I thought I would get this one up earlier than normal today. I hope you are enjoying this slow burn romance between two of our favorite Chicago Fire categories. When you finish the chapter, you will have a good idea what lies ahead for these two. Continued thanks for all of you who are commenting and leaving kudos. I appreciate each and every one of them. Hope you enjoy!

Around 6:30am, Sylvie started to wake up. She sighed gently to herself, feeling the warmth of Matt’s arms wrapped around her. She wiggled back against him, trying to close the small space still left between their bodies. What she felt caused her pulse to race.

_I can DEFINITELY feel his erection against me._

In his sleep, he must have felt her movement, as he slowly pushed himself against her. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, as every instinct she had was pushing her to turn around and make love to him. But after SHE was the one yesterday who talked about how fast they were going, she didn’t know how he would feel about that. Instead she slowly worked her way out of his grasp before standing up beside the bed. She looked back at him, sleepy soundly. She could tell he knew she wasn’t there, as his arms kept trying to pull her imaginary body back to him.

Smiling happily at the man she loved, she tiptoed back to her bathroom to get a shower. 

Matt woke up a few minutes later, the warmth he had felt from her replaced with a cold emptiness of her being gone. He rolled over, trying to find her, when he heard the shower running. _That’s the last thing I need,_ he thought to himself. _Thinking of her, naked, in the shower 10 feet and one closed door away._

He laid there, looking at the ceiling, trying to think of anything he could beside her body. After a few minutes, he knew that effort was futile. He got out of bed, throwing on his clothes from yesterday. He closed her bedroom door behind him and went out to her kitchen. After some searching, he found the coffee and started a pot for them. He had just poured his first cup when she walked out of her bedroom.

Her beauty took his breath away. But what she had on, coupled with her wet hair, caused him to harden again in an instant. She was dressed in black yoga pants. The kind of pants that were so tight that they he didn't even have to imagine how good her legs looked. She had topped that with a pink workout top that clinged to EVERY part of her body. She walked over to him, standing on her toes to give him a kiss. 

“Good morning.”, she said cheerfully.

He tried to form words, but right now all of the blood in his body was flowing south, away from his brain. Instead he poured her a cup, pleading with his desire to calm down.

He finally spit out the first words that came to him. “You look amazing.”

Her smile widened at his words. She leaned back against her kitchen counter, taking him in. ALL of him in. She laughed softly before she replied. “Thank you. It looks like this outfit had the desired effect.”

He stood there, his mouth hanging open at her boldness, before his laugh found its way into the space between them. He knew he needed to rearrange his shorts, but he was waiting for her to turn around before he did it. “You going to exercise today?”

“Yeah babe. I figured after yesterday that I am not going to be able to keep my hands off of you for much longer, so I need to look as good as possible the first time you see me without any clothes on.”

Letting his head fall to his chest, he slowly shook it. Her words were having the exact opposite effect of what he wanted right now. He was calmed, though, to know that they were on the same page. “You forget, I already saw you legs yesterday. I will tell you, they were pretty damn hot.”

Sylvie blushed at his words. She knew this conversation was going to take them back to the bedroom if she didn’t change the subject. “What do you have on tap today?” 

He pursed his lips, part of him glad she had changed the subject, but the other part of him wanting to continue their playful banter that kept raising the sexual tension between them. “Since I am not supposed to work, I am going to meet a couple of guys from a crew that does some work for me at a customer’s house.”

They spent a few more minutes discussing other, less important topics. He made arrangements to pick her up two nights from now for dinner with the Boddens. Sylvie then went back to dry her hair while Matt packed up. With one final lingering kiss, he hailed a rideshare and was back off to the loft.

_________________

By the time Sylvie was done with her 10am spin class, she was starving, so she and a few friends from class went out and grabbed lunch. After that, she ran by the grocery store, stocking up on some much needed essentials. While she was there, it occurred to her that she hadn’t worried about moving out of her apartment once in the last few days…because of one handsome firefighter who had taken her mind off of it. She made a mental note to talk to him, as she would have to be out of her place before they could close on the house.

On her way home, she heard the familiar ringtone of her mother. 

“Hey Mom.”, Sylvie said happily through her Bluetooth.

“Hey sweetie. How are things in Chicago?”

Sylvie wanted to tell her mom about everything that was going on, but held back, worried what they would think of her “rushing” into another serious relationship. “I am good Mom.”

“How are things going with Matt?”

She laughed. _Leave it to my mother to get directly to the point._ “He is good Mom. He goes back tomorrow to see his Neurologist. Hopefully she will clear him to come back to active duty.”

“That’s good new sweetie.” There was silence on the line, and Brett braced for what was coming next. “When do you think you will bring him home to meet us?”

_There it is,_ Sylvie thought. _The real reason for this call._

She considered stalling any talk about coming home, but the truth was she did miss her parents. She also REALLY wanted them to meet Matt, and more importantly, love him the way she did. She decided she would ask him. 

“I will see if we can’t get something set up, Mom. We have dinner at our Chief’s house 2 days from now, and we are also working on the…”, she caught herself right before she let the news of the house slip out. “Uh, he’s working on some jobs right now. But I promise I will ask him today, okay?”

That was all Carol Brett was looking for. She told her daughter she loved her and to let them know, before hanging up. Carol was going to hold her daughter’s feet to the fire on this visit, because both she and her father, Frank, wanted to meet the man who their daughter talked so much about…and clearer was crazy over.

Sylvie waited until she pulled into her apartment parking lot before she texted him.

“Babe, my parents really want me to come home and visit. They also want to meet you. What do you think?”

She let her finger hover over send for a few seconds. Yesterday, SHE was the one talking about them moving at warp speed, and now, here she was about to ask him to meet her parents. She thought about waiting until she saw him again to ask, but instead hit the send button.

_Screw taking things slow anymore, I just want to be happy._


	33. Where is Matt?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a great morning at Sylvie's apartment, she and Casey have gone their separate ways. But will one unanswered text unravel everything they have worked for?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 33! Things are starting to heat up between our favorite couple, but just like in Chicago Fire, the road to happiness is never a straight line. As always, your kudos and compliments are very much appreciated. Hope you enjoy! Things are really going to start picking up from here.

Almost 4 hours after she texted Matt about going home with her to meet her parents, she still hadn’t heard back from him. She could feel her worry grow with each passing minute that he didn’t reply. Finally, right before 6pm, she texted Kidd.

Sylvie: Hey Stella, is Matt home by chance?

Shaking the phone, nervously, why she waited for Kidd to reply, Brett tried to not think about the worst possible outcomes. _Did he think SHE was moving too fast now? Was he injured? Had something happened to his head that caused him to have to go back to Med?_

She could feel herself losing control when she heard her phone chime.

Stella: Nope. Haven’t even seen him today. I thought he was with you?

All of her worst fears went into overdrive at her friend’s response. She quickly dialed Matt’s number. She listened to it ring 5 times before it went to his voicemail.

Sylvie: No, he had to go to a job site today, but that was EARLY this morning. I texted him around lunch but he never responded. I just tried to call him, but only got his voicemail.

Brett tried to remember if he told her the address of where he was working today, but she couldn’t remember. Just then, she heard her phone again.

Stella: I just asked Kelly. He doesn’t know either, and his call went to voicemail too. Do you think something is wrong?

The last question literally caused Brett’s hands to start shaking. She quickly put on her shoes, grabbed her purse and keys, and was out the door.

__________________

The drive to Matt’s loft was normally 20 minutes or more. Today, though, she made it in 15. She MIGHT have not completely stopped at a few stop signs, but at this point she didn’t care. She needed to find him…to know he was okay. Since she didn't know where he actually was, his loft was the best spot to go and wait on him. She had just pulled into his parking lot, when she saw his head above the other cars, two rows over. She didn’t even worry about finding a parking space. She just stopped her car, got out, and ran between the parked cars towards him.

She had just turned past the last car towards him when she stopped dead in her tracks. There was Matt, perfectly fine, hugging a very pretty, MUCH younger woman. The sight of which froze her in place. Of all the things she had been worrying about, Matt being with another woman had never crossed her mind. Not once.

Just then, she saw him turn towards her, seeing her for the first time. Surprisingly, he smiled at her.

“Hey Sylvie, come over and meet…”

She didn’t even wait to hear the last part, instead heading back to her car as fast as she could.

Matt knew the instant he saw her expression fall what she thought. _Shit._ When she turned and ran away from him, he quickly followed. He ran towards her car, getting to it right when she was trying to open it.

“Sylvie, that is my niece!”, he yelled.

She turned towards him, her expression a mix of hurt, anger, and disbelief. She just looked at him, not truly understanding what he was saying.

“Sylvie”, he said, softer this time. “Come meet Violet. My NIECE. She is Christie’s daughter.”

Not knowing what to do, Sylvie sagged back against the car. For a second, Matt thought that she was going to fall, so he quickly reached out and put his arm around her, glad that she didn’t resist.

Looking up at him, her face was sorrowful. “Matt, I…I just assumed. I am a terrible person. I am so…”.

He didn’t let her finish, instead pulling her into an embrace. “It’s okay. I’m sorry too. I can only imagine what that looked like.”

His words caused her to squeeze him so tight, he thought for a minute she might break one of his ribs. They stood there for a minute, before they both heard another voice speak to them.

“Hi Sylvie. I’m Violet.”

_______________

After the embarrassing way she acted, Brett immediately went and hugged the younger woman, apologizing for her behavior. The three to them stood in the parking lot for a few minutes talking. 

“I’m going to head home now Uncle Matt. Sylvie, it was nice to meet you. You need to come to our next family dinner.”

Brett couldn’t resist hugging the girl again. “It was nice to meet you too. And definitely, I will come to family dinner. Maybe I will make a better impression on you then.”

Violet and Matt laughed, as he too hugged his niece. Subtlety, she whispered in his ear. “I like her Uncle Matt.”

They watched together as Violet drove off. Sylvie turned to Matt, still blushing from embarrassment. “I really am sorry babe.”

He waved her apology off. “Sylvie, I love you. You NEVER have to worry about me cheating on you.”

Hugging him again, she thought back to Harrison. She didn’t know why she was thinking about him so much lately, but maybe it was because he was the polar opposite of Matt. He would have NEVER promised her anything like that. More than likely because she had suspected he had cheated on her a few times during their relationship. Just then, Sylvie remembered why she had been so worried about Matt in the first place.

“Matt, why didn’t you reply to my text about going home?”

His confusion was noticeable, until it passed and a realization hit. “My phone battery died about lunchtime. I forgot to bring my charger with me last night when we went to your place.” He paused before speaking again. “But whatever your text was asking, the answer is yes.”

_________________

They made a plan to figure out a time to head to Fowlerton after his doctor’s appointment tomorrow. With that settled, she apologized to him once more before moving towards her car door..

“I am going to head back home now.” she added, not really excited about the idea. 

“You sure you don’t want me to come back with you?”

Slowly, she shook her head. “No, why don’t you spend time with Severide and Kidd tonight.” She pursed her lip before adding the next part. The part that had consumed her thoughts before she got nervous earlier today. “But let’s definitely plan on staying at my place after we have dinner at the Chiefs.”

Casey could see a sparkle in her eye when she said the last part, but tried to brush away any hopes he had. “Sounds like a plan. I will even bring my charger with me next time. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

With that settled, she got in her car and headed home, Matt watching her until her car was out of sight.

___________________

The next morning, Matt rode with Severide and Kidd to work for what he hoped was the last time. As soon as he got to his quarters, he started to keep an eye out on Sylvie. He had missed her last night, and he knew they were going to have to figure out something since he certainly didn’t sleep as well without her as he did with her. If he had his druthers, she would just move into the loft with him until they could buy the house, but it was more important to him to see what she wanted to do first.

As soon as she walked in, he could tell that something was wrong. The sparkle that normally was in her eyes was missing. When she walked up to him, he had to resist hugging her. Instead, he just leaned against the door to his quarters, his hands stuffed in his pockets.w

“You okay?”, he asked, the concern on his face obvious.

She smiled at him, making him feel better immediately. “Yeah babe. It’s just your t-shirt isn’t doing it for me anymore.”

He laughed at her admission. “Well, remember, I don’t even have ANYTHING of yours, so just think how hard it is for me.”

She patted his shoulder as she walked away from him and towards the locker room.

_Matt Casey,_ she thought to herself, _in about 36 hours you are going to get all of me._


	34. Matt's Checkup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a trying day and night, Matt and Sylvie are back at 51. Will Matt's follow up with his Neurologist go okay, or will something else happen to the two of them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 34! We are at almost 8,000 hits, which just blows my mind. Because all of you have been so great in taking this journey with me, you all get Chapter 34 early. This chapter is a little bit of a transition one to get us to the next, REALLY big one. I hope you enjoy!

Early morning of shift was relatively calm, with only 61 having to go out once on a call for an older woman who fell and broke her arm. When Sylvie and Violet got back, she quickly walked to Casey’s quarters. He was cleaning off his desk in preparation of heading to his appointment.

“Hey babe.” she said softly. She turned, and not seeing anyone around them, quickly walked over and kissed him. His smile grew at the feel of her lips against his.

“Matt, do you find it funny that NO ONE from 51 has made any comment about us dating? I mean, I would have expected them to be all over us for info.” Truthfully, she found the fact that none of her work family had said anything about Matt to her confusing.

Casey rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know Sylvie. I haven’t told anybody, and I guess neither has the Chief, Severide or Kidd.”

Knowing she had bigger things to worry about, she turned her focus back on him. “I hope everything goes good at your appointment. I know you are ready to be back on truck.”

“I definitely am.” he replied as he locked the last file in his cabinet. “For some reason Chief wants to drive me to Med, even though I told him I could get an Uber.”

_That is odd_ , she thought.

“Well, tell Chief if he can’t wait around for you, we will bring you back the next time we are at Med.”

Matt leaned over, gently kissing her. “Love you. I will text you what I find out.”

“Love you too babe.”

______________________

For the next hour, Sylvie paced the apparatus floor, waiting on news. In retrospect, she knew she should have taken furlough this shift and gone with Matt to Med, but she was trying to save up what she had left for a trip home and for moving. The fact that Chief’s buggy hadn’t come back yet either, only intensified her feelings.

All of the sudden, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around in a flash, hoping it was Matt, but only found Stella. Her face dropped at the sight of her friend.

“Well,” Stella laughed. “Not exactly the response I was looking for.”

Blushing, Brett pushed her hair back over her ears. “I’m sorry Kidd. I am just worried about Matt.”

The firefighter looked over at Severide, sitting at the squad table, before she responded. “Um yeah. I think EVERYONE has noticed how nervous you are.” 

Normally that type of comment would have caused Brett to worry about what her friends thought, but not today. Today, she was only focused on knowing Matt was okay and going to be cleared to go back to active duty. Just then, they both heard the sound of a vehicle coming up behind them. They turned to see the Chief’s SUV pulling back into the building, only without Casey.

As soon as his buggy came to a stop, Sylvie walked over to the Chief’s door.

“Chief, where is Ma..I mean Casey ?”

Bodden smiled knowingly at the young paramedic, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. “He is fine. They just decided to run another CT while he was there, and I knew that would take too long for me to wait.”

That news did NOT do anything to ease Brett’s concern. She knew he had been fine the last few days, but in her line of work there was always hidden complications that were easy to miss. She quickly walked into the bullpen looking for Violet. When she found her, she threw her head towards 61. Understanding, Violet got up and followed her PIC.

“We going to Med?” Violet asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yep,” Sylvie replied. “I can’t stand waiting around here anymore.”

_________________

As soon as the vehicle was out on the main road, Violet turned to her partner for the day. “Sylvie…are you and Casey seeing each other.”

For a second, Violet’s question threw her, but she tried to concentrate on driving. It wasn’t like she and Matt had been trying to hide their feelings. They were just trying to be professional while they were at work. Surprisingly, though, it was the one person who WASN’T a full-time member of 51 who was the first to ask about them. Without a second thought, Sylvie answered her.

“Yes, we are.”

Brett could see a smile form on the woman sitting in the passenger’s seat. With no follow up question, they drove the rest of the way in silence.

As soon as they got to Med, Sylvie jumped out and Violet moved into the driver’s seat. “I will be right back, okay? If I hear a call on the radio I will come running.”

Violet nodded and pulled out her phone, content to wait for Brett to come back.

It only took Sylvie 5 minutes to find Casey, who was now back in an exam room. She gently knocked on the door before opening it. There Matt was, sitting on the bed waiting on the doctor. She ran over and threw her arms around him.

“Babe, I have been so worried about you.”

Matt chuckled at her admission, a part of him secretly pleased with how much she worried about him. “I am fine. Just waiting on the doc to read my CT results.”

Before she could say anything else, her radio crackled with an alert for a call. She kissed him quickly, and was almost out the door before she threw an “I love you” over her shoulder.

Matt sat there on the table, happy to know that, for once, he had someone who truly loved him solidly in his corner.

____________________

Sylvie and Violet were back at Med 35 minutes later, dropping off what appeared to be a heart attack patient. They had both just turned to head back to their rig when Sylvie saw Matt sitting in the waiting room. He held up a piece of paper to her, his smile growing.

“I got cleared to come back to active duty starting next shift. I thought I would just hang around and catch a ride back with you.”

Sylvie ran over, jumping into his arms. He hugged her back, happy she was in his arms again. He could see Violet out of the corner of his eye, smiling, so he gently placed Sylvie back on the ground.

Following his eyes, Brett could see Matt looking at Violet. “Don’t worry babe, she already knows.”

_________________

When they pulled back into 51, the entire firehouse was out on the apparatus floor waiting on them. Sylvie shot Violet a confused look, but since Casey was in the back, he had no idea what was happening. Casey opened the ambo doors and hopped out, about to head to see the Chief, when he stopped in his tracks.

“Uh…what’s going on?” he asked everyone.

All of the firefighters remained quiet until Sylvie got out of the vehicle and stood beside Matt, her expressing showing him that she was just as confused as he was. All of the sudden they heard Violet yell “NOW”. As soon as 51 heard that sound, they all came running towards Casey and Brett, hugging and congratulating them on becoming a couple.

After a solid 10 minutes of hugs, handshakes, and pats on the back, the crowd dispersed and Matt and Sylvie headed to see the Chief, their faces beaming. When they saw Violet in with the Chief, they stopped and stood outside his door, waiting.

“Hey you two, come on in.” Chief Bodden yelled.

As soon as the couple entered his office, Violet turned to them smiling.

“I was just telling Violet that what she did today is exactly what a TRUE member of 51 would have done.” Bodden said. “Because of that, I asked her to come on board Ambulance 61 full time.”

Brett ran and hugged her friend, happy to have a full-time partner again. 

______________________

At 7am the next morning, Matt took Sylvie’s hand as they walked out to her car. They heard a couple of whistles, and some good natured ribbing as they headed out, but that only made them happier. Happy in the knowledge that everyone who was important to them now knew how happy they were together. They got in Brett’s car and she took him back to his loft, kissing him deeply before he got out of the car.

“I will pick you up at 6:15 tonight, okay?” he said, confirming their plan.

“Definitely.” She replied. “Make sure you pack a bag, because you are staying at my place tonight AND tomorrow night.”

Casey smiled and kissed her again. He watched as she headed off towards her apartment. 

_I will be at her place for two straight nights,_ he thought. _I am not sure how I am going to resist her for that long._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that Brett is getting a new partner this year, but it is hard to write about someone you don't know anything about. I just went with Violet in this story, since she already has a connection to 51 in Gallo.


	35. Dinner at the Boddens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sylvie and Matt are having dinner at the Boddens tonight. Will the start of the night match the ending Sylvie has in store?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This little fanfic just passed 8,000 hits. You all rock! Because all of you have been so gracious with your comments and kudos, not only did I give you Chapter 34 early, but now you also get Chapter 35! That's 3 chapters for you all in one day! I hope you enjoy where this story is going. This really could be part 1 and Chapter 36 be part two, but I found a nice breaking point so will give you the rest tomorrow. Happy reading!

Promptly at 6:15, Matt knocked on Sylvie’s apartment door. Even though they were just going to dinner at the Chief’s house, tonight felt like a date to him. Because of that, he had dressed up a little. Dark, tan dress shoes with blue jeans, paired with a white dress shirt and tan sport coat. He wouldn’t have admitted it to anyone, but he thought he looked pretty good tonight. That feeling washed away the instant he saw her. He stood there, hypnotized by the beautiful woman that stood in front of him. He tried to speak, but couldn’t find the words, so he just stood there, taking her in.

Sylvie stood in the open doorway, wearing a little black dress with black, strappy, heels. The dress was very tasteful, but fell low enough in the front to show the briefest hint of cleavage. Since the dress only came to right above her knee, he had an unfiltered look at her long, strong legs.

“Holy shit…” he mumbled.

Her smile lighted up her face, content in the fact that her outfit had the desired effect on him. _I wonder what he would think if he could see what I have on underneath this dress,_ she wondered.Leaning up, she gently kissed him. “Matt, you look great tonight.”

Still trying to find the words to form a coherent sentence, he just nodded at her compliment. He took a deep breath before finally speaking. “Sylvie, you….you look absolutely incredible.”

For his compliment, she gave him another soft kiss. “Thank you, babe. That was definitely what I was going for. Are you ready?”

Casey nodded once, took her hand, and they were off.

_______________

On the drive to the Chief and Donna’s house, Casey’s hand never let hers. She had laid her arm on the console when they got in, and once he took her hand, it stayed in his, much to Sylvie’s delight. They talked about last shift and what it meant to them that everyone knew about them. They discussed how the mortgage to buy the house was going, with Matt’s assurance that they would talk about how to work the money out soon. In addition, they also made a plan to take a shift off and head to Fowlerton as soon as their next shift was over. That would give them up to 5 days at her home if they wanted them. Sylvie also gave Matt some updates on Amelia, promising to share pictures at dinner tonight.

When they parked in front of the Boddens, Casey got out of his truck and came around to open her door for her. She took his hand as he helped her down, not realizing that her dress had ridden up to almost her upper thigh. Quickly looking to the sky so he didn’t stare, Matt searched for the willpower to get through the next 2 nights with her. He already knew how difficult it was going to be to control himself.

They walked to the front door hand in hand and knocked. After a few seconds, Donna opened the door. “Matt, Sylvie, come in. My, don’t you two look nice all dressed up.”

The older woman hugged both of them individually before she spoke again. “I remember when Wallace and I used to get dressed up like that.”

Just then, they heard the Chief as he came into the room. “Hey now, we still get dressed up from time to time!” he said jokingly. The Chief also came over and hugged them both. From seemingly nowhere, Brett could hear a child happily yelling.

“Uncle Matt, Uncle Matt!”

Sylvie looked over to see Terrance Bodden running towards Casey. Matt quickly got down on one knee, letting the child run into his arms.

“How are you doing Terrance. I’ve missed seeing you around.”

The younger Bodden hugged Matt’s neck for a moment, before letting go. “Come see my new fire truck Uncle Matt.”

With that invitation, Sylvie knew Matt was a goner. Sure enough, Casey carried Terrance back to his bedroom. Sylvie stood there, watching as Matt talked to the young boy. In that moment, she knew that he would make a great father. In her heart, she figured, she probably already knew it, but seeing him like this only confirmed it for her. She could feel her face becoming flush at the thought of her and Matt having children when she felt Donna move beside her.

“He’s going to be a great Dad one day, you know.” Donna said, putting Sylvie's thoughts into words. “I don’t know how, with what he had to overcome growing up, but I know he will be.”

Sylvie turned to smile at her kind words. “I am sure he’ll be a great Dad too.” She replied, blushing.

Looking into Sylvie’s blue eyes, Donna just laughed. “Girl, I can already tell how you are crazy about that boy.”

Brett didn’t even think before replying. “Yes I am.”

________________

Dinner was fantastic with the Chief cooking some chicken recipe that also had ham, bacon, and cheeses in it. She thought it was refreshing to see the Chief outside of work, how relaxed he was versus when he was at 51. It was clear that he was a devoted husband and father, but it was also clear that he viewed Matt as something like a son. She could tell this by how comfortable her love was at their house, and also by the way Terrance clung to him all night. It was seeing how good Matt was with Terrance, though, that threw her desire for him into overdrive. She wanted exactly what Donna had. A loving husband and child…and she knew without a doubt that she wanted that with Matt.

Casey would sometimes catch Sylvie stealing glances of him and Terrance. Once they had gotten there, the boy had seldom been out of his arms, including at the dinner table. There was something in her look when he caught her staring that he couldn’t process. For a second, it was almost like a hunger, but he knew that based on their conversation from two days ago, sex was still off the table. So, for the rest of the evening he just enjoyed the company of the woman he loved and a family that he adored.

Around 8:30 the couple left, but not before getting more hugs. Matt should have known better than to think they could have left without Donna saying something else, but just like clockwork she spoke up.

“Sylvie, honey, you hold onto Matt. You have got a good one there.”

She smiled at Donna’s comment, feeling Matt’s arm wrap around her a little tighter. “I won’t let him go I promise. Thank you both for tonight.”

They were about to leave when Donna hugged Matt again, whispering something in his ear. Once they were back in the truck, Sylvie turned to him.

“So, what did Donna say to you?”

He couldn’t have hidden his smile if he tried. “She told me to marry you as soon as I can.”

___________________

The ride back to her apartment was quiet, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Sylvie was curious about Donna’s last comment to Matt. She hadn’t even thought to ask him if he wanted to get married again. She just felt, somewhere deep in her heart, that he wanted marriage and kids and the whole nine yards just like she did.

Matt, on the other hand, was lost thinking how good Sylvie looked tonight. He knew Donna well enough to know that she liked to try and make him blush sometimes, which sort of surprised him because she had whispered her last piece of advice to him. Maybe she saw something in the two of them that he thought he saw too….a real future. He was about to say something to her, when Sylvie asked him a question.

“DO you want to get married again?”

There was no hesitation in his voice. “Of course.”

“And kids?”

“Yes and Yes” he replied, turning to look at her. They had just come to a stoplight, and they held each other’s gaze. Somehow, in some magical way, they didn’t need words to express that they were on the same page. Casey heard someone honking their horn behind them, unaware that the light had turned green. He smiled sheepishly before hitting the gas and continuing on to her place.

When they arrived at Sylvie’s, he repeated his routine and walked around and opened her door for her. As soon as she was out of the car, she leaned up and kissed him. It was the kind of kiss that took both of their breath’s away. When Matt came up for air, he saw the same look in her eyes that he had seen at dinner. _Hunger._ He quickly reached for the bag he had packed, took her hand, and walked them to her apartment.

Sylvie figured she would be nervous about taking this next step with Matt, but she wasn’t. Normally, with previous lovers of hers, there was always a few butterflies before they got to what came next. There were always the same questions every time. _Will he think I look okay? Will I know how to please him? Will he know how to please me?_ But with Matt, she hadn’t thought about any of that. All she could think about was him. Having them take each other completely. If she was honest with herself, she was more excited than nervous.

Glancing over at Sylvie, Matt could see a determination in her beautiful face. He had no idea what was going on in that mind of hers, but he was fine to take this ride with her, wherever it ended up going. Part of him kept going back to Donna’s suggestion to him. He knew he should have been surprised, as they had only been a couple for a few weeks now, but it hadn’t shocked him in the least. Instead, all he could think about was one day marrying the amazing woman who was currently walking beside him.

_I don’t know what tonight has in store,_ he thought, _but as long as I am with her I don’t care._


	36. First Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After dinner at the Chief's house, Sylvie has big plans for tonight...only Matt doesn't know about them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 36! This is another sex chapter. For some reason, these are always the hardest to write, as it is tough putting into words the scene you want to describe. As always, I appreciate all of you reading, as well as leaving me comments and kudos on what you think. Hope you enjoy!

Sylvie grabbed her keys out of her clutch, unlocking the door. When they were both inside, she locked and chained the door. She stood there, facing the door, inhaling deeply.

Casey had moved further into the room, laying his bag down by her bedroom door. He walked back towards the couch before calling out to her. “You want to watch some HGTV?” Surprisingly, some of the shows had started to grow on him.

She walked to the opposite side of the couch from him. “No.”

Puzzled, he couldn’t understand her expression. It was the same one he had seen a few times tonight. “Uh, do you want to talk about the money situation for the house?”

She simply shook her head slowly. There was something about the way that she was looking at him that caused him to harden. He quickly gulped, not sure exactly when his mouth became so dry. He thought of all the things he could ask her, finally settling on the one that gave her the most control.

“What do you want Sylvie.”

Without speaking, she slowly moved towards him. When she was inches away from him, she looked up at him. “I want you.”

For the briefest moment, his brain and his heart wrestled over what she meant, until his heart won out. His lips fell down on hers, his arms reaching around her to pull her closer to him. Sylvie moaned into his kiss, knowing he finally understood. She opened her mouth, giving his tongue access to hers. They stood there, lost in their kiss, for what seemed like hours. When she finally pulled back from him, the fire that was in her eyes was unmistakable.

Reaching down, she took his hand and lead him back to her bedroom.

____________________

When they reached her bedroom, she closed the door behind them out of habit. He stood by the end of her bed, not sure what to do next.

_God he is gorgeous, s_ he thought to herself. _And on top of that, he is going to let me control things._

Just knowing that caused her perspire slightly. Matt just stood there, looking at her. She walked back over to him, finding his mouth already lowering to meet hers. They kissed, sometimes softly, and other times with the pent up desire they both shared. She let her mouth slowly drift to his neck, nibbling and kissing her way down to his chest. 

He knew he was shaking, not really understanding why. Cursing himself, he asked the question he knew he needed to ask.

“Sylvie, are you sure?”

She could feel her love for him growing as she listened to his question. She could tell Casey wanted her, that much was obvious by how tight the front of his jeans had gotten. But to ask her that when she MIGHT say no, was exactly the man Matt Casey had always been for her. Willing to sacrifice himself to make her life better. She got on her tip toes, trying to look him directly in the eyes.

“I love you Matt Casey. Take me to bed and make love to me.”

That was all he needed to hear. He bent down and scooped her up, one strong arm under her knees and the other around her back, while his lips found hers again. He carried her over to the bed before gently laying her on it. As soon as she was on the bed, he laid down beside her, running one of his hands up from her ankle to her thigh. He could feel goose bumps form on her skin after he touched her, a smile coming to his face.

Sylvie got off the bed and stood beside it, facing him. Momentarily, he was confused as to what she was doing. Just then, he saw her reach behind her back, slowing unzipping her dress. When the sound of the zipper opening stopped, she used her hand to pull the tops off each of her shoulders. The only reason her dress was defying gravity was because she was holding it, but when she let go, Matt watched it cascade to the floor.

He had thought Sylvie was sexy back at his loft when he had brought her to orgasm, but the vision in front of him was the sexiest thing he had ever seen in his entire life. He could see the definition of her muscles across her flat, taut stomach. Her black bra and panty set were the only thing she had on, but they were both so sheer that they left little to the imagination. He immediately stood up in front of her.

“I love you Sylvie. You are just….incredible.”

Their mouths met again, desire and longing played out by their tongues. He let his hands roam freely over her sides and back, nothing left between her smooth skin and his calloused hands. She grabbed his jacket, pushing his sport coat off. Momentarily, he had to take his hands off of her body, but they were back on her as soon as his jacket was off. She slowly unbuttoned his shirt, as he nibbled her neck. When she had his shirt completely unbuttoned, she let her hands run over the muscles in his chest.

Even though she had seen him shirtless and felt his chest against her back, neither of those could have prepared her for how he felt against her bare hands. She had just started to unbutton his jeans when she felt his hand unclasp her bra. Letting it fall, she looked up at his reaction, only to melt at the way his eyes adored her form. _Fuck, I love this man,_ she thought, right before he took her nipple in his mouth.

Knowing they were all alone, she didn’t try to hide the moan that left her lips. She had just finished unzipping and pushing down his jeans when she felt his hand reach down the front of her panties, cupping her sex. 

“Holy shit baby.” She cried, not caring if the neighbors heard her. “God, that feels good.”

Matt kicked his legs, trying to get his jeans off, before he realized he still had his shoes on. He smiled bashfully, before he bent down to untie them. She let her hands run over the top of his back, discovering a few scars she didn’t know about. She heard his last shoe come off and get thrown across the room when she felt his hand run up her calf. Gently, he unhooked the buckle of her high heel before helping her out of her shoe. They repeated the same technique on the other side, only this time she leaned on his back for support. 

She was ready for him to stand up, desperate to kiss him again, when she felt his thumbs hook each side of her panties, slowing sliding them down her leg. As soon as they hit the floor, she stepped out of them before pushing Matt back on the bed. 

“I think it’s unfair that I am naked and you aren’t”, she moaned, loving how his hands felt as they ran over her body.

He looked at her, grinning. “Yeah, but I am not as sexy as you are. Damn Sylvie, you are amazing.”

She kissed him hard, her tongue exploring his mouth without hesitation. She moved up and straddled him, grinding her clit against his erection. After only a minute or two, he could tell she was getting close. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was becoming erratic. Just when he thought she was ready, he pulled her off of him and further up his chest.

“Shit, I was SO close.”, she whined. Her whining stopped when she felt his tongue dive into her. She tried to speak, but she was breathing too hard now to form any words. She knew she was close before, and his tongue took her over the edge. She came hard, feeling her world fly apart around her. She slumped down, her head and chest landing on the bed. It took her a few seconds to realize he hadn’t stopped. The plateau she had just come down from was back in range, as his tongue did things to her she didn’t know were possible. Out of nowhere, another orgasm hit her, causing her to cry out, her body convulsing around him.

She laid like that, on top of him, with her head and chest on the bed, gasping for breath. She could feel her legs shaking, not able to control them. She felt him turn her over onto her back, before moving up and wrapping her in his strong arms. They laid there together for a few minutes as she recovered.

“Matt baby, that was incredible.”

He smiled, leaning up to kiss her forehead. “No baby, you are the incredible one. You are so sexy.”

She looked up at him lovingly, quickly deciding that listening to Matt Casey compliment her was incredibly good for her ego. She glanced down, seeing his underwear still covering his VERY large erection. She looked at him, a devilish grin crossing her face. “Well love, I think we need to do something about getting you naked.”

____________________

Once she was on her knees, she waited until they steadied beneath her. Catching his gaze, she held it while she worked his underwear down his body. He arched off the bed to help her, watching her has she moved off the bed, working the material off his feet. He could see her eyes leave his, taking him in. He wouldn’t have thought it was possible, but it felt like he got harder knowing what she was seeing him naked for the first time. 

She ran her hand up his leg, slowing running her nails overs his calves and up to his thighs. As soon as she took him in her hand, Casey closed his eyes. He swore her hands were made of velvet or silk, as they were too soft to be skin. When he felt her mouth envelop him, the guttural groan the left his lips only heightened her excitement. She worked slowly for a few minutes, her tongue running the length of him, when he abruptly pulled her off.

Not able to mask the confusion, he smiled at her. “You are going to make me cum if you keep doing that.” Hurriedly, he got off the bed, pulling down the comforter while she, now understanding, threw throw pillows onto the floor. He climbed back on the bed on his knees, matching what she had already done. Unfettered by clothing, they let their hands run over each other’s body, exploring. He kissed her, deep and hard, until he finally broke apart from her. “Do you have any condoms?”

Smiling, she slowly shook her head. “No condoms baby. I just need you.”

Immediately, she could tell he was confused, not sure what to do next. “Matt, I got back on the pill the day after I spent the night with you in the hospital. It has had plenty of time to be effective. Besides, I trust that you would tell me if we needed protection, right?”

Casey nodded his head, gazing at her naked body. “Of course.”

“And I would tell you the same thing. So instead of talking, why don’t you lay down and make love to me.”

That was all he needed to hear, as he was on top of her instantly. They continued kissing, as Matt moved his body further up hers. Sylvie reached down, taking him in her hands, lining him up with her entrance.

Right before he pushed into her, she moaned one more instruction. “Go slow baby. It’s going to take me a minute to get used to how big you are.”

He smiled back at her, slowing moving inside of her. He was only a little of the way into her when he saw her eyes and mouth fly open. “Am I hurting you?”

“Fuck no. You feel so good.” She let her fingernails drift to his ass, helping him to know how fast to go. When he was completely inside of her, they laid there, motionless, both lost in the feeling. They thought of everything they had gone through to get to this point. They enjoyed the feelings of how good the other one felt.

Looking down at her, Matt gently kissed her. “I love you Sylvie.”

Seeing the love written on his face, she kissed him back. “I love you too.”

With those words said, they made love, lost in the emotions and feelings they had for each other, hoping that the night would never end.


	37. Afterglow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 37! I appreciate all of you reading this story, which is certainly much longer than my last one. Don't worry, though, we have a ways to go with these two. As always, your comments always rock, giving me the instant feedback I need on how you all liked the last chapter. Tomorrow's chapter will see our two love birds head to Fowlerton after shit, for the all important meeting of Sylvie's family. Hope you enjoy!

The sun streaming through her window caused Brett to raise her hand to cover her eyes. Smiling, she thought back to the last 12 hours. She had lost count of the number of times they had made love. In the bed, in the shower, and in bed the again and again. What she could remember, though, was how her body felt. _I am SO sore,_ she thought. She rolled over to look at Matt, surprised not to find him behind her. At that moment, she saw him coming back into the bedroom carrying a plate and a cup of coffee, clad only in his boxer briefs. 

His smile seemed to cover his whole face. “Good morning Sylvie. How did you sleep?”

Pushing herself up to lean against the headboard, she returned his smile. “Pretty good. It helps that you gave me the workout you did last night.”

They held each other’s gaze, both gently laughing. She saw his eyes drift to her chest, she not realizing that the sheet was no longer covering her chest. Having seen his eyes filled with desire last night, she knew what he was thinking. “Hold on tiger. I am too sore to do anything else right now.”

Blushing, he handed her the cup and plate he had in his hands. “Best I could with the limited supplies I had.”

She felt a warmth flood over her. _He made me breakfast in bed._ She looked up at him. “You know you are going to spoil me, right?”

“That’s my plan.” He said, brightly. He gently got off the bed, letting her eat her eggs and toast in peace while he headed to the bathroom.

Not realizing she was hungry until he handed her the plate, she devoured the food he had prepared. She could hear water running in the bathroom, knowing it was the bathtub. As she was sipping her coffee, he come back out. He took her coffee from her hand, placing it on the table beside her. “Come with me.”

She took his hand, letting him lead her to the bathroom. For a moment, she felt like she should be self-conscious being completely nude around him, but she didn’t. When she saw him take off his underwear, she felt a familiar yearning start to build in her stomach. Watching him, he got into the bath water he had drawn. Once he was in, he reached for her, taking her hand and helping her into the tub. They moved around for a few seconds, finding the right spot for each of their bodies. When they did, she leaned back against his chest as his arms surrounded her. 

“I love you Sylvie. Last night was just…unbelievable.”

Turning her head, she softly kissed him. “I love you too. You were better than I even dreamed possible.”

As they sat in the hot water, Matt would occasionally bring a washcloth up to her body, wringing out the hot water on uncovered skin. They sat there, lost in the feel of the other for 15 minutes, until she could feel the water start to cool. She turned her body, her lips finding his waiting for her. The kiss was desperate, full of need and longing. After a few minutes, Matt pulled back. “Are you too sore to continue?”

She shook her head, smiling. “I don’t know, but let’s find out.”

____________________

An hour later, they were dressed in shorts and t-shirts, laying on the couch snuggling. As they watched HGTV, Matt thought about the woman he held in his arms. He couldn’t wrap his mind around how good last night was, exceeding any experience he had ever had. It was perfect, and his love for her only magnified it. As he gently ran his hand up and down her arm, he thought back to what Donna had whispered to him last night. Ever part of him screamed it was too soon, except for his heart. And his heart, he decided, is what he should listen to from now on.

Sylvie rolled over, looking at him. She could see the drowsiness in his eyes, internally giggling at wearing her lover out. She kissed him gently before watching him drift off to sleep. Content and safe in his arms, she drifted off a few minutes later.

_____________________

The rest of the day followed the same script. Sex, followed by cuddling or sleep, followed by sex again. Around 6pm, he ordered steaks and baked potatoes delivered for dinner. Neither of them had once thought about leaving her apartment, both content in the bubble they were in. They ate happily, together, at her table. After they finished, Sylvie went to take a shower, but not before letting Matt know that he had to stay on the couch. She already knew if he came into the shower with her that she wouldn’t be able to resist his advances, but after today, she was MUCH sorer than this morning. After she got out of the shower, it was his turn. When he got out, they laid in her bed, watching television. 

He pulled her closer to him, his erection already rubbing against her. She rolled over, a look of surprise on her face. “Aren’t men supposed to slow down when they are 40?”, she laughed.

“Ah, you seem to forget that I am not 40 YET. Besides, I don’t know of any heterosexual male who, after seeing you, wouldn’t immediately get hard. You are spectacular.”

Embarrassed, she kissed him lightly. Right when he started to pull her closer, she stopped him. “No more sex tonight babe. You have no idea how sore I am.”

Matt pulled her closer to him, turning over to lay on his back, letting her head rest on his chest. She worried he was disappointed, but she knew there was no way she could handle anymore of him tonight. Especially with how MUCH of him she had to handle.

“I’m sorry Matt.”

The confusion on his face passed quickly. “Sylvie, I love you. Of course, I would like to make love to you again, but I am just as happy having you in my arms. Don’t you apologize for anything.”

Kissing him once more, she turned back towards the TV, enjoying the feeling of falling asleep to the sound of his heartbeat.

__________________


	38. Fowlerton Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sylvie and Matt head to Fowlerton to meet spend time with her parents after shift. Will they like Matt as much as he wants them to?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 38! This will be a multi chapter arc about our favorite couples trip to meet Sylvie's parents in Fowlerton. As always, thanks to all of you who are reading this story, as well as commenting and sending kudos. Your support of this little fanfic is incredible. Hope you enjoy!

The next morning, Sylvie was up before Matt, getting ready for shift. She had just gotten out of the shower when Matt walked into the bathroom. 

“Good morning”, he said, a huge grin on his face.

“Good morning to you.”, she replied before quickly kissing his check.

As he hopped in the shower, she began to get ready. Once he got out, it took them a few minutes before they settled into an easy rhythm. As he was brushing his teeth, she glanced over at him, not trying to hide her joy.

“What?” he mumbled through the suds into his mouth.

She turned towards him, her smile never leaving her face. “Nothing. This is just nice. Waking up with you every morning is something I think I could get used to.”

After her spit the toothpaste into the sink and rinsed his mouth, he gently kissed her. “Well, I guess that is good considering we are going to own a house together in about 4 weeks.”

Casey went into the bedroom to get dressed, leaving a stunned Sylvie in his wake _. Oh my God. We really are going to be living together in a month._

_______________

For once, their shift was relatively normal. None of the vehicles got called out during breakfast, lunch or dinner, allowing the entire firehouse to enjoy their meals together. Now that the news about them was out, Casey tried to spend more time in the bullpen then normal. He didn’t want anyone wondering WHAT he and Sylvie were doing in his quarters, so whenever they were back there, they always left the door open. Around 10:30pm, Sylvie gave Casey a quick kiss before heading to her bunk.

“You know I will miss you tonight, right?” Casey asked, taking her hand in his.

“Of course I do. And you know I love you right.”

Yes, I do. And if I may say so, that feeling is very mutual.”

After another quick kiss, they parted ways, both hoping to get some sleep. A trip to Fowlerton was on the agenda for tomorrow.

_________________

Promptly at 7am, Sylvie was ready to go. Matt had to hang back for a few minutes to meet the incoming Captain, who was also going to cover for him while they were away. After a ten minute meeting, the two of them were headed to Matt’s to pack. When they entered the loft, he was surprised to not see Kidd and Severide.

“Did Kidd say anything to you about going somewhere after shift?” Matt asked.

Sylvie smiled at him, running her hands up his chest. “Yes. She said they were going to go eat breakfast first, which means we have time to make love before you pack.”

Laughing, Casey followed her lead. “Have I told you lately that I love how you think?”

______________________

As the two of them got dressed again, Matt efficiently packed his bag. He always had a “go” bag ready with toiletries, so he only had to pack his clothes and he was ready. Sylvie added a few particular outfits, including one for church. With a suitcase in one hand, and hers in the other, they were off to her apartment.

As soon as they got there, Sylvie quickly got her suitcase ready, having already determined in her mind what she needed to take. 20 minutes after they arrived, Matt stopped to fill up his truck with gas while Sylvie went inside the attached fast food restaurant to grab them breakfast. With all of that accomplished, they hit the interstate, heading to Indiana.

As they rode, Casey asked her for some tips about visiting her folks.

“Well babe, first thing is you will be sleeping in Stephen’s room if he and his family aren’t coming home too, or then you will be on the couch. Mom and Dad won’t want us sharing a room until we are married.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, her hand flew up to cover her mouth. She looked over at him, blushing. “I’m sorry…I…I have no idea why I said that.”

Casey laughed before glancing over at her. He reached out and took her hand in his. “Sylvie, if you haven’t noticed, nothing you just said scared me.”

Not letting go of his hand, she took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. Surprisingly, what she said hadn’t scared her either. “Um, we also don’t want to have a lot of PDA at my parent’s house. Holding hands and quick kisses yes, but everything else no. Finally, make sure you look my Dad in his eyes when you shake his hand. For some reason, he is a stickler about that.

Looking over at her, he repeated the instructions. “Okay, so no sex and look your Dad in the eye. I think I can handle those two things.”

She caught his gaze before he turned to concentrate on the road. “And let’s not say I love you or talk about the house until I feel my parents out. I don’t want them to think we are moving too fast.”

With that out of the way, Sylvie leaned back into her seat and closed her eyes, imagining what being it would be like to be Sylvie Casey.

___________________

Roughly three hours later, Casey steered the truck into the Brett driveway. If he had ever wanted to understand why Sylvie was the happy, optimistic person she was, one look at her family farm would have explained it. The scene in front of him looked exactly like what he figured he would see in a Hallmark Movie. The farm house was very nice, with a porch that ran the length of the front, dotted with rocking chairs. There was a massive tree in the front yard with a swing attached to it. Behind the house he could see various buildings that he assumed had something to do with the operation of the farm.

He had just put his truck in park and turned off the engine when he saw, what he assumed to be Sylvie’s parents, come out onto the porch. She turned to look at him, and with a nod of his head, she was out of the truck, running to hug her parents. He had just gotten out when he heard them.

“I missed you two SO much.” Sylvie exclaimed, hugging both of her parents at the same time. 

Matt stood there, taking in, what was obviously a loving family in front of him. He felt a pang of sadness over not having experienced that kind of greeting in his life, but quickly brushed it aside. Purposefully, he walked toward the Bretts.

Seeing him coming, Sylvie let go of her parents. “Mom and Dad, this is Captain Matt Casey, my boyfriend.”

A silly grin formed on his face, realizing that they may have been the first time she called him her boyfriend in public. Coming to a stop beside her, he looked at her father, extending his hand.

“Mr. Brett, it’s nice to meet.”

Frank Brett looked over the man in front of him before taking his hand. “It’s nice to meet you to Captain. Thank you for bringing our daughter home to us.”

Smiling, Matt turned towards Sylvie’s Mom, but was surprised to be wrapped in a bear hug by the older woman. “Matthew! It’s so good to finally meet you! Pumpkin has told us so much about you!”

Letting her hands fall into her face, she knew Matt was looking at her.

“Um…pumpkin?” Matt asked quizzically.

Lacing her arm through his, she looked up at him sternly. Well, as sternly as she could when she was smiling and blushing. “Babe, you are to forget you ever heard that name when we cross back into Illinois, okay?”

Casey nodded before adding, “But can I call you that too while we are here?”

___________________________


	39. Fowlerton Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Sylvie have arrived at her parents house. As they sit down for lunch, Matt shares a story that not even Sylvie knows about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 39! We just crossed 8800 hits for this story, which floors me. I am glad that you all are enjoying taking this trek with me. Because we crossed 8800, you get Chapter 39 early! Comments and kudos are always appreciated, as I try to reply to everyone of you who take the time to leave me a comment. This Fowlerton arc may last a few more chapters than I originally thought, but writing it is a breeze as I have the whole weekend laid out in my head. Hope you enjoy!

While Sylvie went into the house with her parents, Matt went back to the truck to grab their bags. As he soon as he stepped into the house, he was overwhelmed by the amazing smells coming from the kitchen, which sat across the room at the back of the house. He sat their bags down against the wall by the stairs, heading over to join everyone in the kitchen.

“Now Matthew, I didn’t know exactly what you liked to eat, so I made some fried chicken and roast beef, and we also have corn on the cob and mashed potatoes.”

Casey could feel his mouth water at the spread laid out in front of them. He looked over at Sylvie, who was beaming back at him. “Mrs. Brett, this all looks amazing.”

Carol smiled at his kind comment. She too stole a glance at her daughter, taking in the way she was looking at her boyfriend. _Well,_ she thought, _now I can see it for myself. My daughter thinks this Matt Casey is the one._ Carol sat down to the table while Frank washed his hands. They all waited until Sylvie’s dad sat down at the table, before Sylvie reached for Matt’s hand. Following along, Matt bowed his head as Mr. Brett said grace. As soon as he finished, serving dishes and bowls were passed around until everyone’s plate was overflowing.

“So, Captain” Frank said, breaking the silence. “Tell us a little about yourself.”

After wiping his mouth, Matt looked at her parents, who sat across the table from them. “Well sir, I was born and raised in Chicago, so I have been in the city all of my life. I knew I wanted to be a firefighter when I was young, so it was natural for me to join the CFD as soon as I was eligible. I was lucky enough to get placed at 51, with a Chief who really took me under his wing.”

As Mr. Brett considered Matt’s comments, Carol jumped in. “And is all of your family still in Chicago?”

Sylvie felt the color drain from her face. She hadn’t thought to mention to them what she knew about Matt’s parents, as he still hadn’t told her the entire story yet. She reached out, laying her hand on his arm, about to step in for him, when he spoke.

“Not all of them, ma’am. My mother lives in Florida now, but my sister and niece still live in town.”

Just as Sylvie was about to cut in, she heard her mother ask THE follow up question.

“And what about your Dad?” Carol inquired.

Surprisingly, Matt looked over at Sylvie and just smiled. He gently patted her hand before turning back to face her parents. “My father was killed when I was a teenager by my mother. Unfortunately, he drank a lot and was abusive to my mother. One day, she just snapped and shot him.”

The tension at the table could have been cut with a knife. Both of her parents’ faces had fallen, and Sylvie knew that they were trying to comprehend a child having to face that. However, she was shocked when her boyfriend continued.

“My sister, Christie, is a few years older than me, so she went to live with one of her friends, but I lived in foster care until I graduated high school.”

Sylvie’s mom reached across the table, patting Matt’s hand. “Honey, I am so sorry you had to go through that.”

Matt nodded once in appreciation before he resumed eating. Sylvie looked at her Dad, whose face showed a hint of anger. She shot her eyebrow up at him, only to see him look down at his plate, pushing his mashed potatoes across his plate.

They all ate in silence for a few minutes until Sylvie felt the need to break it. “So, what plans do we have while we are home?”

Smiling, Frank winked at her daughter, grateful for her interceding for them. “Well pumpkin, tonight we thought we would head to town and eat at the diner. Tomorrow night we have the Homecoming football game at the high school. On Saturday, Stephen and his girls will be here, and then Sunday morning is church, of course.”

Glad to be on a different topic than Matt’s family, the rest of lunch was spent discussing how the football team was doing and Sylvie’s brother, wife, and young daughter.

__________________

After lunch, Frank went back to work while Sylvie and Matt helped her Mom clean up the kitchen. After the kitchen was done, Sylvie and Matt took their bags upstairs to their individual rooms. With that completed, Sylvie looked around to make sure they were alone before sneaking over to his room. She surprised Matt by pulling him in for a smoldering kiss.

When they broke, he gazed down at her. “I don’t know what I did to deserve that, but remind me to do it more often.”

Wrapping her arms around him, she pulled him into a tight embrace. “Babe, I am so sorry you had to go through all that when you were young. You about broke my heart telling them that story.”

He leaned down and gently kissed her forehead. “It’s not a story I like to tell, for sure, but I want your parents to like me. I just figured honesty was the best route with them.”

She pulled him in for another long kiss, full of desire, when they heard Carol downstairs.

“Pumpkin, why don’t you give Matt a tour of the farm.”

“Yes ma’am” she yelled back after breaking their kiss. “We were just about to do that very thing.”

____________________

With his hand in hers, Sylvie took Matt out the back door of the house towards the farming operation. As they walked, she would point out what certain buildings did; this one for cows, that one for chickens, yet another for pigs. Casey enjoyed listening to her talk about her home, as it was easy to see how proud she was of both the farm and her parents. When they got all the way to the building for the cows, they ran into her father, who looked rather frantic.

“What’s wrong Daddy?” Sylvie asked.

“Oh, nothing I haven’t dealt with before” he replied, stuffing his phone back in his pocket. “Just a couple of hands that were supposed to come help me tomorrow backed out on me.”

Casey quickly looked at Sylvie before he spoke up. “Uh, Mr. Brett, I am happy to help you if you need it. I will be the first to admit that I don’t know anything about a farm, but I will help you anyway I can.”

Looking at his daughter first, and then towards Matt, a smile formed on Frank Brett’s face. “Well Captain, that’s mighty generous of you. I think I might just take you up on that.”

As Matt and Sylvie turned to head back towards the house, Casey turned his head towards her as they walked. 

“Um, what EXACTLY did I just get myself into?”

Sylvie laughed, the kind of laugh that made her face beam. “Oh babe, you will just have to wait and see.”

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	40. Fowlerton Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sylvie and her folks take Matt out to dinner, where Sylvie sees a familiar face, one she was hoping not to see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 40! I find it amazing that we are at chapter 40, when this story has SO much longer to run. When I started planning this, I had a about a dozen big scenes I wanted to get to. I think I write too much dialogue, which eats up the word count I want to stay around. This weekend I might try to knock out a longer chapter and maybe combine two of these sized chapters together. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Around 5pm, after Sylvie, Casey and Frank has showered in that order, the Bretts and Casey loaded up in Mr. Brett’s Ford F-350. As they pulled out of the driveway, Frank glanced back at Casey.

“Captain, I see you have a sign on the side of your truck. Do you do construction too?”

Looking at her father in the rearview mirror, Casey responded. “Yes sir. Have for about 6 years now. I mainly do residential remodels, with some commercial on the side.”

Sylvie’s Dad found his daughter in his rearview mirror view, seeing her smile grow. “Well then, Pumpkin, sounds like you have one of those characters from one of those HGTV shows you are always watching sitting beside of you.”

Laughing Sylvie turned to look at Matt, reaching for his hand. She wanted to brag on his work, but in truth, she had never seen any of it yet. For some reason, though, she had a feeling he was very good at what he did. _I guess I will find out when we close on the house,_ she thought.

They drove the rest of the way with all three of the Bretts pointing out certain places and landmarks to Matt. When they parked, Frank was surprised to see Matt come around and open his daughter’s door for him. He chuckled to himself as they all entered the Fowlerton Diner. 

Immediately, Matt thought the name “diner” was a misnomer. The inside of the restaurant was huge, with nothing but table and booths filling in the expanse of the space. There was a checkout stand at the front door, along with a “Please Wait Here” sign. Matt assumed the kitchen was hidden behind the doors at the back of the building.

“Mr. and Mrs. Brett, your party looks like it has grown tonight.” The hostess joked, grabbing 4 menus and sets of silverware. She walked their group back to a table, with both of Sylvie’s parents stopping every 5 feet or so to greet someone or receive a handshake. Matt and Sylvie took a seat while her parents talked with another couple a few tables over.

“Wow, your parents sure are popular.” Matt considered while looking at Sylvie.

Sylvie looked over at her parents and smiled. “Ah, the benefit and curse of living in a small town. Everyone knows you, but everyone also knows ALL your business.”

As soon as her parents sat down, a waitress who looked like she was about 16 came to take their drink orders. Matt poured over the rather extensive options, figuring that everyone but him would already know what they wanted. Within a few minutes, he was glad he had, as the waitress was back with their drinks and ready to take their orders.

After their orders were placed, the four to them chatted about work, the weather, and whatever other topic floated into their heads. A few minutes before their food came, Matt noticed a woman at a booth about 20 feet away from them, staring at him. For some reason, he felt like he should know who it was. _But who would I know in Fowlerton beside Sylvie?_

After their food arrived, Matt caught this woman staring at him again. He leaned toward Sylvie and whispered to her. “Babe, who is that woman in the red shirt at my 2 o’clock who keeps looking at me?”

Sylvie glanced up, Matt seeing her smile immediately fade. She leaned back towards him. “That is Hope, remember.”

The name was all he needed to put it all together. Sylvie’s FORMER best friend, who they had fired from 51. He saw his love plaster a fake smile on her face and throw up a quick wave to their former co-worker. After her wave, she immediately focused on eating her food. _Please don’t let her come over,_ she prayed.

Surprisingly, Hope didn’t come over to their table, instead content to grab her phone and focus on that. Matt looked back at her one time, amazed that anyone could type that fast on a phone, as her thumbs were a blur. After dinner, Frank paid the bill, much to Matt’s objection. When the bill and tip were settled, they got back into Mr. Brett’s truck and returned to the farm.

_________________

Once they were back at the farm, they all sat on the front porch, rocking in the chairs that dotted the front porch. Matt asked some more questions about the farm, while Sylvie tried to catch up on the latest town gossip. At 9pm, Frank and Carol excused themselves to get ready for bed. Matt looked at his watch, making sure he read the time right. He looked over at Sylvie, an eyebrow raised in confusion.

She just laughed. “Babe, you are going to find out VERY early tomorrow morning that working on a farm starts early and ends late.” She stood up and patted his shoulder. “If I were you, I would plan to hit the sack early tonight. Breakfast is normally at 5:30 in the morning.”

Groaning, he stood up and headed inside with her. As soon as she closed and locked the door behind them, she drew him in for a long kiss.

“That’s a little something to help you sleep.” She whispered.

Matt threw his head back in an exaggerated manner before looking at her. “Trust me Sylvie. Your kiss DOES NOT help me sleep. Now other things, yes.”

She playfully swatted his arm, before taking his hand while he led them up to their bedrooms.

__________________

At 5am, Matt felt someone shaking him.

“Babe, time to get up.”

He opened his eyes, praying this was a dream, but it wasn’t, as Sylvie was fully clothed. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “You need to get into the shower and down for breakfast, okay.”

Doing as he was instructed, Matt grabbed his toiletries bag and headed for the bathroom, deciding that a lukewarm shower might help him wake up. By some miracle, he was dressed in jeans and an old sweatshirt Sylvie had packed, and was tying the shoes to the work boots he kept in his truck promptly at 5:30am.

They all sat down to eat, with enough food on the table to surprise Matt. There were eggs, bacon, sausage, and even some pancakes. Taking it all in, Matt grabbed a LARGE cup of coffee and some eggs.

“Matthew, don’t you want more to eat than that?” Carol asked, bewildered.

Casey looked at Mrs. Brett, returning her smile. “Yes ma’am I do, but if I eat everything I want to, than I am going to need a nap in about an hour, which I don’t think Mr. Brett would appreciate.”

Everyone laughed at his honestly, before they all dug into the breakfast. 30 minutes later, Frank and Matt were headed to the buildings that held the cows. “So Captain, here is what I am going to need you to do.” Frank said, looking to make sure Matt was paying attention. “I need you to bring all the hay bales that are in that truck right there, and move them into this barn. Then, I need you to take about 15 of those bales, and spread them out in all the stalls so the cows have something to eat today.”

Looking around, Matt quickly grasped the game plan. Inside, he chuckled, knowing how right Sylvie had been yesterday. The “truck” Mr. Brett was talking about was an 18 wheeler, filled to the brim with hay. When he looked at the stalls in front of him, he guessed there had to be 60 of them. Turning back to Frank, he gladly accepted the gloves that were handed to him.

“Good luck Captain. Just call me if you need any help.” Remarked Frank, grinning as he walked away.

 _Okay Matt,_ said to himself. H _er Dad wants to see if you are a hard worker. Let’s show him what you can do._


	41. Fowlerton Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt helps out Frank, which gives Sylvie a chance to talk to her mom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 41, as we continue with the Fowlerton arc. We have now cross 9100 hits on this story, so I am glad that some of you are enjoying this little fanfic and following along with the exploits of Casey and Brett. This chapter is a little longer than normal, but had to get to what I felt was a good stopping place. Hope you enjoy!

After Matt and her Dad had headed off to work, Sylvie helped her mother clean up the kitchen. Since this would be the first time they had been alone together since she got back home, she expected her Mom would ask her some questions about her relationship with Matt.

“Pumpkin, I am so sorry I asked Matt about his family yesterday. I was just mortified to hear what happened to him.”

Sylvie washed off the last plate before replying to her mother. “I know Mom. I should have told you not to ask him about that earlier because I know he doesn’t like to talk about. Honestly, that was the first time I heard the story too.”

As Sylvie turned around, she saw Carol looking at her, while her mother fidgeted with the dish rag that was in her hand. “Well, I am just glad he felt comfortable enough to share that with us. It’s VERY obvious how much you care for him.”

_Here it comes,_ Sylvie thought. _Mom is giving me the opportunity to come clear to her._

“I do Mom. I am crazy about him.”

Studying her daughter, Carol knew she might have to peel some layers back before her daughter was completely honest with her. “And does he feel the same about you?”

Sylvie took a seat at the table, a move that her mother followed. There, sitting across the kitchen table from each other, Sylvie told her mom everything.

“I know he does mom. I am in love with him, and I know he loves me. We were friends for a long time, both of us wondering if the other wanted more. When he finally told me how he felt, it was just…it was like my heart got bigger, if that makes any sense.”

Reaching across the table, Carol took her daughter’s hands. “Well pumpkin, he seems like a fine young man. I know we expected that, based on how you have always talked about him, but it's nice to see it with our own eyes. The fact that he offered to help out your Dad today will certainly win him some brownie points with your father, even though he might not be able to move tomorrow.”

The both laughed before Carol continued. “It’s just…I worry about you rushing into anything with Matt. You did that with Kyle and it didn’t work out. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

Sylvie knew he Mom was trying to protect her, so she tried to find the right words to get her mom to see that Casey was different. Different, in fact, than any other man she had dated. “I know Mom. I think that’s what took us so long to get together. But all I know is that he if he asked me to marry him today, I would say yes. Which is crazy, I know, but I would even go to City Hall and get a judge to marry us right now. There is just something about him, Mom. You would be amazed at how he takes care of me, but how willing he is to let me take care of things myself too.”

Smiling, Carol looked at her daughter. “My, my, pumpkin. I guess I should have expected you to say that based on how I saw you look at him yesterday.” She squeezed her daughter’s hand. “Come on, let’s go sit on the porch and catch up.”

Sylvie went outside with her Mom, glad that PART of their conversation was over. She still had to tell them about the house, but that could wait for another day.

____________________

An hour after they started working, Frank came back to check on Matt’s progress. What he saw surprised him, as the young man was hauling hay bales out 2 at a time. When Matt dropped the two he had in his hands into the barn, Frank threw him a water bottle.

“Thank you, sir.” Casey said, before taking a big gulp of cool water.

“No Captain, thank you. I didn’t want to say this in front of the ladies, but I appreciate you watching out for my little girl. She told us you had a pretty scary injury standing up for her, and I just want you to know how much I appreciate that.”

Casey blushed before waving off his thanks. “Your daughter is in good hands in Chicago, sir. All of us at 51 watch each other’s backs. I just happened to see what was going on, but I have no doubt that if I would have waited 5 more seconds, two of three other firemen would have backed her up. That is, if she even needed backup in the first place.”

Eyeing the Captain closely, Frank watched the younger man finish his water and head up in the truck to get more hay. Before turning to head out, Sylvie’s Dad looked back at Casey one last time, starting to believe that he might have just caught a glimpse of one of the things that her daughter saw in Matt…humility. 

_________________

By noon, the temperature had jumped from the low 70’s up to the low 80’s. Sweat was pouring off of Casey, completely drenching his sweatshirt. In the distance, he heard a bell ringing. _Is that really a dinner bell,_ he wondered? Moving out of the barn, Casey looked towards the house, seeing Frank motioning for him to follow. Casey quickly jogged up the hill, his mouth watering in anticipation of another Brett spread. When he got to the house, he saw that Sylvie had laid one of his t-shirts out for him. As he was taking off his damp sweatshirt, he heard the back door open. As the last bit of fabric came over his head, he was startled to see Sylvie’s mom standing there. She looked flustered, but she encouraged Matt to hurry and change his shirt so he could come in and eat.

Behind her, Sylvie laughed out loud at the scene that had just played out. When her mother turned around, she could see she was blushing. “What do you think about Matt now, Mom?” Sylvie joked.

Swatting her daughter’s shoulder, Carol started to walk past her. “Well Pumpkin, I can definitely see ONE of the things you like about him!”

____________________

If Matt was reserved at breakfast, he was the exact opposite at lunch, practically eating anything that was set in front of him. Every time he would look up, though, he seemed to catch Sylvie and her mom looking at each other, laughing. Making a mental note, he decided to ask Sylvie later exactly what was going on.

After lunch, Sylvie’s Dad and Matt headed back down to the barn. Sylvie went ahead and took a shower and got dressed in preparation for the football game tonight. Part of her wondered why Hope HADN’T come over to see her last night. Of course, she really didn’t want to have to talk to her former best friend, but Hope didn’t know that. There was just something odd about the way she was looking at Matt that made her feel uneasy. Trying to brush those thoughts aside, she laid out some aspirin and a glass of water on the nightstand by Matt’s bed. _He is certainly going to need them,_ she laughed.

_________________

Around 3pm, Frank walked back down to barn where Matt was working. Surprised, he saw that Matt had completely finished emptying the truck of its hay. Normally, just that single job would have taken 2 of the guys in town an entire day to complete. Now, Matt was separating bales of hay in each of the stalls as instructed, a job that Frank NEVER excepted him to get to. Walking over to the mini fridge he kept in the barn, Frank grabbed another bottle of water for Matt. He walked over to the younger man and handed it to him.

Taking a break, Matt wiped off his forehead with the back of his arm. He looked over at Frank, surprised to see Sylvie’s Dad smiling at him.

“Well Captain, you did really good. Truthfully, I didn’t even expect you to get all the hay out, let alone get to the stalls.”

Nodding once, Matt accepted the man’s compliment without a word. Just then, he saw Frank’s expression turn serious.

“Son, do you mind if I ask you a question?"

Matt’s senses went on alert. _That’s the first time he has called me anything other than Captain in the last day._ “Of course, sir.”

Making sure he had the young man’s gaze, Frank looked at him intently. “Would you mind telling me just how long you have been in love with my daughter?”

Without hesitation, Matt replied. “Almost a year, sir.”

That news was a revelation to Frank, learning that the man who stood in front of him had feelings for his little pumpkin BEFORE Kyle. For some reason, though, he got the sense that Captain Matt Casey was the kind of man who said what he meant, and meant what he said.

Knowing he needed to explain himself, Matt sat down on the edge of the trailer. “Believe me, sir, I wanted to ask Sylvie out well before now. But first there was Kyle and their breakup. I was about to ask her to dinner when Kyle came back and proposed. Not long after that came Julie and Amelia, and I knew that she needed me to be there for her as a friend first, so I just held what I felt for her inside.”

Taking all this in, a picture of why his daughter was in love with Matt started to form. In his mind, he knew that Sylvie would have acted the same way, sacrificing her own feelings to help someone she cared for. 

Breaking Frank’s concentration, Matt continued. “While I know this seems sudden, sir, I want you to know that I am going to ask Sylvie to marry me. It certainly won’t be this weekend, but it won’t be too much longer. You will know first, sir, because I will ask for your blessing before I do.”

None of THAT surprised Frank, because in his gut he partly expected this conversation, somewhat surprised Matt didn’t ask for his blessing now. The fact Matt was willing to wait for he and Carol to get to know him this weekend only made him like the young man more. Patting Matt’s shoulder, Frank stood up. “I appreciate your honesty Captain. Why don’t you just finish putting the hay in these stalls and head on up to the house and get a shower.”

“Yes sir.”

Matt went back to work, but looked over at Frank as he walked away. He didn’t know why, but he felt like he might have just won over Sylvie’s Dad.


	42. Fowlerton Part 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt finishes up work on the farm before they all head to the Homecoming football game. Unfortunately, in a small town, you sometimes have to talk to people you really don't want to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 42! This one is a little longer too, but it took a while to get through the scenes I wanted to get through. As always, all of your comments and kudos are appreciated. I hope you enjoy!

45 minutes later, Matt wearily walked up the hill towards the house. He had tried to remember the last time he had worked so hard, but his mind drew a blank. Walking in the back door, he was greeted by Sylvie. She gave him a quick kiss on the check, but when she smelled him, sent him straight up to get a shower.

“Do I have time to take a nap too?” Matt joked.

“Don’t even think about it.” Sylvie replied. “Dinner will be ready at 5:30 and the game starts at 7.”

Heading into the room where he was staying, Matt laughed the aspirin and water Sylvie had left for him. _I definitely need those._ Reaching down for his toiletry bag, Matt groaned, feeling the soreness in what seemed like every muscle. He slowly walked to the shower, praying they had enough hot water for a VERY long hot shower.

15 minutes after Casey had headed upstairs, Frank came back up from the farm. 

Carol looked up from her cooking, taking in her husband. “How did everything go today?”

After making sure that Sylvie wasn’t downstairs, Frank smiled at his wife. “Well honey, I learned two things today. First, the Captain is DEFINITELY in love with our daughter, and second, that is one hard worker.” 

Frank and Carol huddled together, sharing the intel they had gathered today on their daughter and Matt. After comparing notes, they determined that it probably wouldn’t be much longer before Matt Casey came and asked them for permission to marry their daughter.

As Frank headed upstairs to take his shower, he passed Matt, gingerly walking down the stairs. Just the sight of that caused Frank to laugh all the way to the shower.

________________

Finding Sylvie on the front porch. Matt saw that she was on the phone.

“Kidd, I have to go. Matt just came downstairs. I will call you tomorrow okay?”

Casey limped over to a rocker and, using the armrests for support, gently eased himself into the seat. He looked over at Sylvie, seeing an amused expression looking back at him.

“I told you babe. Farm work is hard.”

As he smiled back at her, he replied. “Yes, it is. But even though I will be sore for the next month, I am glad I helped out your Dad today. Gave us a little time to get to know each other.”

Knowing her father, Sylvie was about to ask what questions he got asked, when her Mom appeared on the porch. “Matthew, Pumpkin, why don’t you two come on in and eat. Frank will be down in a few minutes."

Sylvie helped Matt stand back up, surprising him with a gentle kiss when he got upright. Taking his hand, they walked into the house and to the dinner table. Just as Mrs. Brett had guessed, Mr. Brett was down in less than 5 minutes. Everyone took hands and said grace, but not before everyone’s plate was too full to lift.

________________

At 6:30, Sylvie and her Mom pulled out some blankets to use at the game. They were about to leave in Mr. Brett’s truck when a delivery truck pulled into the road heading back to the farm.

Sighing, Casey could see Frank’s frustration. He turned off the engine and turned to Matt and Sylvie. “Captain, why don’t you drive Sylvie to the game. Carol and I will head over after I take care of this guy.”

Nodding, both Sylvie and Matt got out of the truck and headed over to his vehicle, Matt opening the door for Sylvie to get in. As Sylvie gave him directions, he held her hand across the console. When they turned into the parking lot, Matt was surprised to see just how many cars were already there. 

“Small town” Sylvie said, shrugging her shoulders. “Nothing else to do on a Friday night, so everyone comes out to watch the high school team.”

Grabbing the blanket, Matt walked around the front of the truck to help Sylvie out. When she got out of his vehicle, she pulled him in for a deep kiss.

“That’s for helping my Dad today.”

Grinning, Matt took her hand as they headed to the stadium. They had only been seated for about 10 minutes when Frank and Carol joined them. Sylvie wrapped her arm through Matt’s, content to be in the presence of the man she loved in the town she grew up in.  
___________________

Surprisingly, the game wasn’t even close. Fowlerton, which was supposed to have a good team this year, was down 24-7 at halftime. Throughout the first half, the temperature had dropped while the wind picked up, making Matt grateful that Sylvie had planned ahead and brought the blanket.

As the band started, she turned to him.

“You want some hot chocolate babe?”

“They have that here?” Matt asked, happy that a high school would offer that.

“Yep. I know you worked hard today, so I can go get it for us if you want?”

Waving her off, Matt stood up. “Nah, I am feeling better,” he lied. “I will walk down with you.” In truth, Matt was hoping for another kiss like the one they had shared when they got here.

Sylvie let her parents know where they were headed, and they proceeded to head to the concession stand hand in hand. Unfortunately, they got a late jump on things, as they were at the end of a VERY long line. Snuggling together, Matt wrapped his arm around her to keep her warm. They were probably 15 people ahead of them for the cashier when Sylvie heard a voice that made her stomach sink.

“Sylvie, is that really you?”

Turning around, Matt saw a dark haired man who seemed to know Brett. He glanced over at Sylvie, noticing that she had gone pale.

Sylvie cleared her throat, quickly glancing at Matt. “Uh, Harrison. What are you doing here?”

Immediately, Matt felt an anger start to bubble inside of him. This was Harrison. He had heard enough about him from Gabby over the years to know one thing…He was a complete asshole. Matt pulled his girlfriend a little closer. 

Harrison looked at Sylvie and then to Matt, before repeating the movement. Obviously, they were a couple, Harrison thought, but this guy was DEFINITELY not Sylvie’s type. “Well Sylvie, Hope texted me last night that you were back in town. She said you had come back to see me.”

Sylvie’ face was pale no more, as the anger she was feeling blushed her face. “No Harrison, I DID NOT come back to see you. I brought Matt, my BOYFRIEND home with me to meet Mom and Dad. So, you should probably…”

Harrison stepped closer, interrupting Sylvie, a move that caused Matt to move partially in front of her. “Look Harrison”, Matt said sternly. “Obviously, there has been some misunderstanding here, so we would appreciate it if you just left Sylvie alone.”

Laughing, Harrison looked at Matt threw narrowed eyes. “It seems like you are in MY hometown man, so if I were you, I would suggest you run back to wherever you came from. You will probably thank me later, because Sylvie is NOT the kind of girl you want to be with.”

“Look asshole”, Matt said, inching closer to the smaller man. “I love Sylvie Brett, so you need to be really careful with what you say next, because I promise you if it is the wrong thing, you are going to have me to deal with.” Sylvie knew this situation was quickly getting out of control, so she pulled Matt back towards her.

“Matt, he isn’t worth it. He is just some small town loser that CHEATED on me.”

Looking around, Harrison could see a group had started to form around them, some with their cameras out, filming. He took a step back as he raised his hands in mock surrender. Seeing this, Sylvie grabbed Matt and turned them to look toward the concession stand and away from her ex. She could feel every muscle in Matt’s arm tensing, and the last thing she wanted was to see Matt get arrested for punching Harrison.

They had just turned around when Matt and Sylvie heard Harrison loudly say, “You know what Sylvie, fuck you... Oh, that’s right, I already did.”

Before Matt could even turn around, he felt Sylvie slip from his grasp. He had just turned to face Harrison when he saw the right hook that Brett had thrown connect with Harrison’s jaw, sending him to the ground. Matt looked over at Sylvie, seeing an anger in her eyes that he had never witnessed. For a second, he was afraid she was going to start kicking the man who was now lying flat on his back.

Reaching over, Matt wrapped his arms around Sylvie’s waist, picking her up and depositing her 5 feet away. He tried to get catch her gaze. “Sylvie, go to my truck, okay!”

Still seething, Sylvie walked a few feet more away. Matt turned to look at Harrison, still lying flat of his back. Walking back over, Casey kneeled down beside her ex. Speaking through gritted teeth, Matt looked down at the man’s cheek, which was already turning colors. “Harrison, if I EVER hear you say another bad thing about Sylvie Brett, or any of the Brett family, I promise you I will drive back down here from Chicago and I will kick your ass. Do you understand.”

Defeated, Harrison looked up at Matt and just nodded. Standing back up, Matt turned, surprised to see Sylvie still standing there, smiling. “Sylvie, go to my truck, PLEASE.”

With his last plea, she turned and headed out of the stadium. Matt quickly walked back to where Frank and Carol sat. He grabbed the blanket, making up a story that their daughter wasn’t feeling well and that he was going to take her home. He hated to lie to them, but this incident was Sylvie’s to tell, not his.

Matt had just gotten back to the truck, finding Sylvie standing near his tailgate. She reached out her hand. “Give me your keys.”

Not understanding, Matt reached into his pockets and fished out his truck keys, handing them to her. She got in the driver’s seat while he took the passengers. Sylvie spun the tires on the dirt as she was leaving the parking lot, earning a glance from Matt.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“You know, I haven’t been in a fight since I was in elementary school, and now twice in the last month I have wanted to hit someone. First was that guy who hit you with the chair, and now I ACTUALLY hit Harrison. Damn, I have wanted to do that for SO long.”

Looking at her, Matt knew that her adrenaline was pumping, it was the same thing that happened after calls at the station sometimes. As they turned onto the road that the farm was on, Matt was about to say something when he noticed she wasn’t slowing down for her parent's driveway. Instead, she drove another 1/8 of a mile down the road, before she turned onto a dirt road, lined with trees. She drove the truck about 50 feet further down the now, very dark road, until she stopped the car and turned off the engine.

Grabbing the blanket, she got out of the truck. _What in the hell is going on,_ he wondered? Following her, Matt got out of the truck, tracking her to the back of his vehicle. He had just got there when she lowered the tailgate.

Sylvie looked at him, a small, thin grin on her face. “Thank you for what you said and did back there. I appreciate you wanting to protect me AND my family.”

“Always.” He replied, still not sure where this was going.

In a flash, her lips were against his, kissing him so hard it surprised him. He broke the kiss, looking down as she whispered to him.

“I need you to fuck me baby.”

_________________

15 minutes later, the two of them set propped up against the cab of his pickup, wrapped in her blanket, gasping for air. Every time they had made love over the past couple of days, it had always been gentle and loving. This, though, was completely different. Bordering on animalistic, they each used the other’s body to fulfill their needs. Matt leaned over, kissing her forehead.

“Holy fuck, Sylvie. That was amazing.”

Smiling, she turned and kissed him. “I don’t know what came over me, but once I left the stadium, I just knew I had to have you inside of me.”

They sat there, lost in the afterglow, until they both became chilled. They then got dressed and headed back to Sylvie’s house. As they walked back into the house, they sat down on the couch together.

“By the way, I told your parents you weren’t feeling well, so that was the reason we left early.”

It didn’t surprise Sylvie that Matt would let her decide how to tell her folks what had happened. That’s one of the things that made her love him. A love, she considered, she had never experienced before. Thinking back to her conversation with her mom today, she remembered what she said about marrying Matt. 

_He better hurry up,_ she thought, _or I might have to ask him myself._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone posted a comment about Frank Brett calling Matt "Captain". I explained it to them, but figured I should give the rest of you the story. My late father in law would always call my brother in law, who is in the Air Force, Colonel. I had always thought that was an interesting thing to hear, and found a place in this story for it. It's kind of a homage to my late father in law. In the next few chapters, you will hear Frank explain why HE does it.


	43. Fowlerton Part 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their encounter with Harrison, Matt and Sylvie are at the house, waiting on her parents to get home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 43! This little fanfic just crossed 9700 hits. You all rock! I am so happy that some of you have chosen to take time our of your busy days to read along with my exploits of Matt and Sylvie. Today is, more than likely, the second to last chapter of the Fowlerton arc. Since I will probably only get one chapter up today, you all get a SUPER sized chapter today. Hope you enjoy!

Sitting beside each other on the couch in Sylvie’s parent’s house, Brett laid her head on Matt’s shoulder. That sat there, content just to be with each other, for a few minutes before Matt gingerly picked up her right hand. Seeing it had already began to swell, he got up and went to the refrigerator, opening the freezer. When he found the perfect thing, he came back and placed a package of frozen peas on Sylvie’s hurt hand.

“Here you go slugger. Hopefully this will keep the swelling down.”

Next, he went into the bathroom, bringing back with him some Aleve and a glass of water. Handing them to her, she quickly took the pills, washing them down with the water. Matt leaned over and kissed her forehead.

“Take it from me, Sylvie. Your hand is going to REALLY hurt tomorrow, so you need to make sure you keep ice on it.”

He resumed his place beside her, letting her head fall back to his shoulder. “Don’t you ever forget I love you, okay?” he whispered to her.

Looking at him, her smile made her eyes sparkle. “I won’t babe, but that doesn’t mean I might not need some reminding every now and then. Especially if that reminding involves what just happened back at your truck.”

Laughing, he wrapped his arm around his shoulder. They sat there for a while, lost in their own thoughts. When Matt saw headlights turn into the driveway, he turned to look at her.

“Do you want me to stay with you while you talk to your parents?”

She shook her head, but pulled him in for a quick kiss before he stood up. Matt walked over to the base of the stairs, waiting for Frank and Carol to come into the house. Just before they got there, he called over to her.

“I love you Sylvie. Just so you know, I am not sure I have ever been prouder of someone than I am of you right now.”

As soon as her parents came in the door, Matt wished both of them goodnight, before he headed up to the room he was staying in. He closed the door behind him and laid down on the bed, his mind consumed with the kick ass woman downstairs he was in love with.

Seeing Matt head upstairs, Carol quickly walked over to where Sylvie sat on the couch, tears welling in her eyes at Matt’s comment.

“Pumpkin, are you okay? Matt said you weren’t feeling well.”

Sheepishly, Sylvie looked up at her Mom. “Mom, can you and Dad come sit down for a minute? There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

Carol sat down beside her daughter, while Frank came over and sat on the edge of the coffee table that was in front of them. After taking a deep breath, Sylvie started.

“Mom, Dad, I wasn’t sick tonight. Matt hated to lie to you, but he knew I would want to talk to you about this myself.”

Her parents shared a quick, concerned look before she continued. “Harrison came up to me and Matt when we were in line at the concession stand. It seems that Hope told him that I was home to see HIM, which caused a bit of a problem with Matt beside me. Anyway, one thing led to another, and Harrison said a vile, cruel thing to me, so I punched him.”

Sylvie held up her hand, still covered by the bag of frozen vegetables. Her mother took that hand in hers, which made Sylvie wince in pain. 

“Anyway, after I punched him, Matt sent me back to his truck. You need to know that he told Harrison to never mess with ANY of us again, or he would have to deal with him. That was right before, I assume, he came back to see you. I am SO sorry this happened, but what Harrison said, I…I just snapped. I don’t know what came over me, except that I wanted to hurt him.”

Standing up, Frank moved to sit on the other side of his daughter. Both of her parents hugged her, whispering to her that everything was going to be alright, just like they did when she was a child.

Frank squeezed his daughter’s shoulder. “I am SO proud of you, pumpkin. Sometimes in this world, you have to stand up for yourself, and I am glad you finally did to Harrison.”

Sylvie chuckled, leaning into her Dad. “That’s funny Daddy. Matt just told me that he was proud of me too.”

Frank and Carol exchanged a look, knowing that Matt’s support of their daughter made them like him even more. Frank turned serious for a second. “Sylvie, do you think that Harrison will call the law on you?”

For a second, Sylvie felt her fears overtake her, before she pushed those thoughts out of her mind. “No Daddy, I don’t think he will. There was a group around us, and some of them had their cameras out, filming. I think he will be too embarrassed. Now if Matt had hit him, definitely. I was trying to pull Matt back from him because of that, and then I was the one to hit him.”

The three of them sat together, as a family, holding onto each other. After a few moments, Sylvie added something else.

“Oh yeah, I have been wanting to tell you guys something. Matt and I are going to buy a house together.”

___________________

The next morning, breakfast was at 9am instead of the normal 5:30. With news about Matt and Sylvie buying a house together now out in the open, Sylvie shared pictures of the house with her parents, while Matt discussed how they planned on renovating it. A few times, Sylvie was sure that she caught her parents looking at each other, smiling, but when she raised an eyebrow to question them, their faces turned passive. Since Frank was taking the day off to spend with his family, he had hired some workers from town to handle the farm chores, something Matt was definitely thankful for. Surprisingly, he wasn’t as sore today as he thought he would be, but he didn’t know if he had it in him to work as hard as he had yesterday. 

After breakfast, Frank and Carol went back upstairs to take their showers, leaving Matt and Sylvie alone in their pajamas downstairs.

“How is your hand feeling?” he asked, concerned.

“It’s definitely sore babe, but I will live. Remember, I was born in Fowlerton, but I am a Chicago girl now. Tough is my middle name.”

Matt laughed loudly, but was interrupted by the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. Sylvie jumped up, excited to see her brother, his wife, and her nine month old niece. Matt went to work cleaning up the table as she opened the door for the rest of her family. As soon as Stephen walked in the door, she hugged him tightly.

“I’ve missed you little brother.” She said happily.

Smiling back at her, Stephen laughed. “Yeah right, sis. I know you just want to see Taylor.”

Following right behind him, Kimberly, Stephen’s wife, walked in carrying their screaming daughter. Sylvie ran to her brother’s wife, wrapping her up in a huge hug, which Kimberly returned. Sylvie never had a sister growing up, and Kimberly, who like her brother was 4 years younger than she was, had become that for her. 

“Hey sis.” Kimberly gushed. “Our little girl has been DYING to see her Aunt the entire drive here.”

Grabbing Taylor out of Kimberly’s arms, Sylvie wrapped the baby in her arms, raining kisses on the infant’s red, splotchy face. “What’s that matter sweetheart? Why are you so upset?”

Shaking his head, Stephen sighed. “I have no idea. She has been that way ALL night long. Neither of us got much sleep.” Seeing Casey in the kitchen, her brother walked over to the new boyfriend, shaking his hand. “Matt, it’s nice to meet you. I have heard good things about you from my parents.”

Laughing, Matt returned his hand shake. “Uh, nothing from your sister? Should I be worried Sylvie?”

Sylvie turned to him and stuck her tongue out him. Stephen used that opportunity to poke a little fun at his big sister. “Unfortunately, no. It seems that the only time my sister calls me these days it is to speak to my wife.”

Hearing that, Kimberly came over and, bypassing the handshake, hugged Matt. “Don’t worry Matt, I know EVERYTHING about you from Sylvie. It’s nice to finally meet you in person.”

Casey instantly worried what “everything” meant. He walked over to Sylvie, who was still holding her crying niece. “Babe, this is Taylor. I have NO idea what has gotten into her today, because she is normally just a PERFECT little angel.”

Softly, Matt ran his fingers through the infant’s hair, causing Taylor’s eyes to widen. Sensing something, Sylvie handed the baby to Matt. At first, Taylor continued to cry, but Sylvie heard Matt’s voice drop to a deep lull while talking to the baby.

“Now, little one, what seems to be the problem?” he cooed. Taylor focused her eyes on Matt, her crying slowing, seemingly in awe of the very BIG man who held her. As Matt walked around, bouncing her, Taylor started to rub her eyes sleepily. Within a matter of minutes, the little baby was out like a light, lulled to sleep by the sound of Matt’s voice.

Seeing this, Kimberly walked over to Sylvie, noticing that her sister-in-law was in awe of the man who was currently holding her child. Leaning over, she whispered in Sylvie’s ears. “I don’t know where you found this one, but you need to lock him up before some of the single moms I know find out about him.”

Turning, Brett returned Kimberly’s smile. Looking back at Matt, she was struck by how comfortable he looked holding Taylor. It was, in fact, the same way he had looked with Terrance. Trying to shake out of the trance she was in, Sylvie told her family to go grab some breakfast while her parents were upstairs. Obviously, Taylor was in VERY good hands.

________________

Less than 10 minutes later, Carol bounded down the stairs faster than Sylvie had seen her run in years. She moved quickly over to where Matt was sitting with Taylor, who was still asleep in his arms. Carol’s mouth fell open while she put her hand over her heart, taking in the sweet scene before her. She caught Sylvie’s glance, and they both shared a nod. Right then, Matt stood up.

“Here Grandma. I am sure you were looking forward to seeing this little one today.”

Carefully, Carol took the infant from Matt’s arms, before sitting back down herself, her grandchild safely in tow. Matt walked back to where Sylvie was standing and put his arms around her waist. As he did, Frank came running down the stairs, looking for Taylor too.

In the kitchen, Stephen jokingly called out to all of them. “Yep, it’s okay. Kimberly and I weren’t really looking forward to talking to any of you either.”

Everyone laughed at his remark. Matt kissed Sylvie’s check, letting her know that he was going to head up and get a shower. When Matt went upstairs, Kimberly came back over, hugging Sylvie. “Well sis, you can’t say that my daughter isn’t loved.”

__________________

While Matt was upstairs, Stephen brought in their bags from the car. Now that his stomach was full, he got them as far as the stairs before he sat down in a chair, his tiredness overtaking him. Kimberly sighed, taking in her husband as he slept in the chair, grabbing the bags to carry them the rest of the way to their room. A few moments later, she came downstairs quickly. Turning to look at Sylvie, she blushed.

“Okay, so I MAY have accidentally gone upstairs right when Matt came out of the bathroom, wearing only a towel."

Sylvie giggled, seeing how embarrassed Kimberly was. At that moment, her sister-in-law whispered something in her ear.

“Okay Sylvie, forget locking up Matt. You need to marry that man as soon as possible. Someone who looks like that AND is good with kids? Good lord girl, you hit the jackpot.”

Smiling, Sylvie leaned over and whispered back, “Oh, don’t you worry. I DEFINITELY am going to marry Matt.”

____________________

A few hours later, they all sat down for lunch. Taylor, who was MUCH happier after her nap, was back to being the perfect little angel.

“Um Matt,” Kimberly remarked. “If you ever get bored fighting fires and want to come be Taylor’s Nanny in Indianapolis, I am sure Stephen and I would be open to that.”

All of the Brett family laughed as they saw Matt’s cheeks turn red. Before he could respond, Sylvie added onto it. 

“Oh, not only is Matt good with kids, but he cooks too.”

Surprised, Carol looked at him. “Well Matthew, aren’t you just the renaissance man.”

Holding up his hands to stop the onslaught, Matt replied. “I DO cook Mrs. Brett, but I assure you my cooking doesn’t hold a candle to yours.”

Carol blushed at his compliment, which also earned him a kiss on the check from Sylvie. Just then, an idea popped up into Matt’s head.

“Speaking of cooking Mrs. Brett, why don’t you let ME cook lunch for all of you tomorrow? It’s the least I can do to pay you back for your hospitality.”

Before Carol could respond, Frank spoke for her. “Captain, we would enjoy that. Thanks for offering.”

Smiling, Matt glanced over at Sylvie, seeing her love for him radiate off of her. Matt mouthed the words “I Love You” to her, then turned back towards his plate.

In his mind, he was already wondering if tomorrow would be too soon to ask the Brett’s for permission to marry Sylvie.

________________


	44. Fowlerton Part 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Bretts and Matt spend the day together, and Matt makes lunch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 44! This will be the last full chapter of the Fowlerton arc, except for a short part next chapter. I am overwhelmed that we are almost at 10,000 hits on this story. Just like yesterday, this is probably the only chapter I will get up today, so you get a chapter double the length of the normal ones. As always, your comments and kudos are sincerely appreciated. Hope you enjoy!

After lunch, Matt asked everyone what foods they did and didn’t like, including asking Kimberly what Taylor ate. As he sat in a chair, he secretly worked up the menu for tomorrow. A few times, he would find himself drawn into the conversation or laughter that the Brett’s were sharing. What they had together was exactly what he hoped Sylvie and he could have one day. A loving family, where the parents were still together and the children all returned home to visit. Reaching beside him, he picked up his cell, firing off a text to Severide back in Chicago.

Matt: Hey, just want to give you a heads up. If you are going to propose to Stella, you need to hurry up and do it. It won’t be long until I am going to ask Sylvie.

In Chicago, Severide heard his phone chime in his quarters. He pulled it out, reading the text from his best friend. Laughing, he wondered how Matt had figured out that he was going to propose Stella? Oh well, he was sure he would be able to accomplish that task before Matt got around to asking Sylvie.

___________________

It was the middle of the afternoon when Casey turned to Frank. “Mr. Brett, what’s the closest supermarket from here?”

Frank pondered that question, before responding. “Captain, that would be the Albertsons over on Maple. Probably no more than a 15 minute drive from here.”

Nodding, Matt got up. Sylvie, seeing this, stood up too. Matt offered a genuine smile towards his girlfriend. “Sylvie, you stay here and enjoy your family. I won’t be gone long.”

He could tell Sylvie didn’t understand, but when he reached over and kissed her cheek, she pulled him into an embrace, not caring if her family saw them. “Okay, just don’t be gone long babe. We are going to order pizzas for dinner tonight.”

As soon as Matt was in his truck, backing up to head to town, Stephen turned to his father. “Dad, why do you call Matt “Captain” all the time?”

Looking down at his son, who currently sat on the floor beside Taylor, Frank tried to think of how to explain it. “Stephen, if a man like Matt Casey works hard enough in life to get a title like Captain, well, the least I can do is to respect him enough to call him that.” Catching Sylvie’s eye, Frank give her a quick wink. “Now, their will be a time, probably in the not too distant future, that I will call him by something else, but not now.”

Blushing, Sylvie understood her father’s words. When she married Matt, he would go from being called Captain to Son.

___________________

Kimberly looked over at Sylvie, seeing her blush. She caught on to her Father-in-law’s comment too. When she and Stephen had married, Frank usually called her by her first name, but sometimes would call her daughter too. It was something that had made her feel so special, and she knew Sylvie couldn’t wait for Matt to be called Son. Deciding to have a little fun with Sylvie, Kimberly looked over at the woman she called her sister.

“Matt even goes grocery shopping too, sis? You are one lucky lady.”

Her smile growing on her face, Sylvie turned to look at Kimberly, who now had picked up Taylor and was holding her in her arms. Carol took the opportunity to chime in too. 

“I agree Kimberly. And the way he looks at you…I swear he thinks you hung the stars and the moon, pumpkin.”

Wrapping her arms around her, she sat back against the couch, thrilled to hear how much her family thought of Matt. She knew he would be embarrassed to hear all of this, but she secretly knew that was what he was hoping to accomplish this weekend. Closing her eyes, she let her mind drift to the man she loved, completely.

__________________

An hour later, Matt came back with 3 full grocery bags. He walked them back to the kitchen, not letting anyone see what was in them. While Carol ordered the pizzas, Matt went to work on prepping the meal for the next day. Since they would be going to church tomorrow morning, he knew he wouldn’t have a lot of time when they got back to get everything done before lunchtime.

Every once in a while, Carol would try to make her way into the kitchen to check on Matt, each time being sent back to the family room with a warm smile. When Sylvie tried to sneak in, he gently kissed her, but sent her back as well. He wanted to surprise them, hoping they would enjoy it.

When the pizza arrived, Matt put all of the items he had gotten ready back into the grocery bags, placing them in the fridge in a spot that Carol had cleared. The whole family joined around the table, eating, talking, and laughing. After dinner, they each took turns loving on Taylor, happy in the fact that they were all together.

Around 10pm, Frank and Carol headed upstairs. Matt went up and collected his bag from the room that Sylvie’s brother’s family would be staying in, changing in the downstairs half bath into shorts and a t-shirt. Around 10:30, when Stephen and Kimberly carried Taylor upstairs to head to bed as well, Sylvie gave Matt a sheet to put on the couch, while she retrieved a pillow for him. After a quick kiss, Sylvie headed to bed as well.

____________________

Around 11:30pm, Matt sat on the couch, flipping through channels on the TV. For some reason, he couldn’t sleep, and he wasn’t having any luck finding something on the TV. He had turned the volume down, hoping not to wake up anyone. Just then, he felt fingernails run across his shoulders. Turning around, he saw Sylvie coming around the back of the couch towards him, dressed only in his CFD shirt. Walking in front on him, she put one knee on each side of the couch, straddling him. Looking in his eyes, he could feel the heat radiating off of her. She held one finger over her lips, indicating to him to be quiet. Leaning down, she pulled his lips against hers, their tongues instantly exploring the others. As he was kissing her, Matt ran his hands up her thighs and underneath her shirt. When he got to her hips, he realized she wasn’t wearing any panties. He couldn’t hold back the moan that interrupted their kiss. 

She worked his shorts down off of him, impaling herself on his manhood. When he was all the way inside of her, she leaned close to his ear, whispering to him. “Baby, I got so wet upstairs thinking about you. You have just been…ahhh…so perfect this weekend. I love you so much.”

"God, you have no idea how much I love you." Matt groaned, as silently as possible.

Letting her move like she wanted to, Matt let his hands wonder up her shirt until he found her breast. He played with on of her nipples while she kissed him hard. He could tell she was close, and the encouragement she was whispering in his ear was too much for him to handle.

“Cum for me Matt. Pleaassseee.”

In a flash they both came together, their bodies leaning against the other for support. After a few moments, Sylvie gently kissed him, before climbing off of him. Taking his hand, she led him to the downstairs half bath where they cleaned up. As the walked back out, she picked up her panties and a pair of sweatpants off the floor. She had Matt lay down on the couch, and when he did, she turned off the TV and laid down in front of him, pulling a blanket from off the back of the couch over them. 

As they snuggled together, Matt whispered in her ear. “What happened to no sex while we are at your parent’s house?”

Chuckling, she turned over, her lips gently grazing his. “Baby, I am addicted to you. I am not sure if I can go a day anymore without having you inside of me.”

As she rolled back over, he let his arm wrap around her, pulling her body back against his. “Well, I can DEFINITELY see myself making love to you every day for the rest of my life.”

_______________________

The next morning, Carol came downstairs, finding Sylvie and Matt cuddled up together on the couch. Truthfully, part of her wanted to be mad at her daughter for breaking their rules about not sleeping together in the house before they were married, but she just couldn’t. Sylvie looked so content, with Matt holding onto her like his life depended on it. As she walked to the kitchen to start her coffee, she decided that if they did that every night going forward, she would never have to worry about her daughter getting hurt again.

When the sound of the coffee pot hit its zenith, Sylvie started to wake, stretching her arms out in front of her. When she realized what she heard WAS the coffee pot, she quickly got up and looked at her mother in the kitchen. _Shit_ , she thought. Standing, Brett made her way into the kitchen with her mom. She hugged her mother, before apologizing. 

“Mom, I’msorry. I know we aren’t supposed to sleep together before we are married here.”

Hugging her daughter tighter, Carol replied. “It’s okay pumpkin. I am just thrilled to see you so happy. And Matthew CERTAINLY seems to make you happy.”

“He does mom. Honestly, even though I have known him for so long, and liked him as something more than a friend for almost a year, I never expected him to be this way. It’s like he grabbed my heart and won’t let go of it.”

Placing her hand on Sylvie’s cheek, Carol took in her daughter’s smile. “That my dear Sylvie, is what true love is. When you are willing to sacrifice everything for the person you love. Obviously, you know Matthew is willing to do that for you, and I have no doubt you would do that with him.”

The sound of the last of the coffee dripping into the pot caused Carol to turn away from her daughter. “Mom, you don’t think it is crazy that I want to marry Matt, do you? Trust me, I know it is soon, but for some reason, the thought of spending my life with him excites me, not scares me.”

After pouring them both a cup of coffee, the two women sat down at the table. “No pumpkin, I don’t. What you told me the other day surprised me when you first said it, but having seen the two of you together, now I don’t. And I definitely don’t think Matthew is scared either.”

The two women than spent the next few minutes catching up, with Sylvie answering any question her mother had about them.

_______________________

At 9:15am, all 6 of the Bretts and Casey headed to church, in two cars since they all wouldn’t fit in one. When they got there, they took up a whole row at the Fowlerton Methodist Church. Even though Matt was Catholic, and definitely not an active one at that, he found the way Mr. and Mrs. Brett greeted people to be comforting. Sylvie leaned over to him right before the service started.

“Don’t worry if you don’t understand everything. I am just glad you are here with me.”

Reaching over, Matt took Sylvie’s hand in his, holding it the entire service.

____________________

After the service was over, you would have thought that Sylvie and Stephen were celebrities. People were lined up, wanting to come say hello to the Brett children they saw grow up, but rarely saw anymore. Matt was introduced and shook hands with more people than he could count. Just when the line started dying down, He saw Hope leave a pew and take a spot at the back of the line. Matt excused himself, and walked around the line towards her.

When he got there, she was about to speak when he stopped her.

“Look Hope, I know you and Sylvie used to be friends, and I don’t claim to know what changed. All I know is that what you did the other night was wrong. So, if you ever cared for Sylvie, you will walk out of this church and NOT talk to her.”

Matt was surprised he got through all of that without raising his voice. He looked down at the blonde woman, sensing she was going to say something.

“I know Casey. I don’t know why I did that, but when I saw the two of you together at the diner the other night, it just…well, Sylvie always seems to get the good guys for some reason. It just hurt if that makes sense?”

Nodding, Matt remained quiet, prepared to block her way if she tried to get past him. Seeing that, Hope apologized once more, and turned to go. Just then, Matt felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he saw Mr. Brett.

“Captain, thank you for watching out for Sylvie again. I don’t know how you saw Hope, because I certainly didn’t, but I know pumpkin wouldn’t have wanted to talk to her.”

Matt nodded his appreciation before the two men returned to the others.

_________________

As soon as they all got back to the house, Matt quickly changed clothes before heading into the kitchen. Refusing help, he sent everyone outside onto the porch to enjoy the warm, sunny day. Sylvie could hear the sounds of plates, blenders, and pans from the kitchen, but resisted her urge to help Matt. 45 minutes later, Matt called all of them in for lunch.

When they got into the kitchen, the smells overtook them, causing their hungry stomachs to control them, moving them forward. As they all sat down, Matt handed each of them a plate. Once everyone’s plate was in front of them, he told them what he had made.

“So everyone, what you have is my knock off of Alice Springs Chicken from Outback. You have chicken with bacon, honey mustard, mushrooms, and cheeses. Except for you Kimberly, yours doesn’t have mushrooms. For your sides, you have grilled asparagus with parmesan cheese sprinkles, and garlic mashed potatoes.”

Clearly proud of himself, he turned to Taylor. “And for you little one, I made you homemade apple sauce, and you can have some of the mashed potatoes too.”

Everyone looked at him, their mouths open at what he accomplished in such a short period of time. Sylvie turned to look at him, not caring that they weren’t alone.

“I love you babe. You are just…. amazing.”

Blushing he took her hand. “And I love you Sylvie.” Turning to look at the rest of the group, he spoke up. “If I may, I would like to propose a toast. To Frank and Carol Brett. For having the most amazing family I have ever seen. Thank you for letting me come here and witness it.”

Everyone clinked glasses and started to eat, luckily hiding the tear that rolled down Sylvie’s cheek.

_____________________

After lunch, everyone sent Matt and Sylvie out of the house, assuring them that they would clean up. The two of them walked hand in hand across a field, both taking in the day, lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Matt turned to Sylvie.

“Do you REALLY think everyone liked lunch?”

“Babe,” Sylvie said loudly. “Of course they did. Everything was amazing. I may have even cried a little when you toasted my parents.”

Pleased, Matt look over at her, his face turning serious. “Sylvie Brett, I want you to know that I am going to ask you to marry me one day. And if you say yes when I do, I want our lives to be exactly like what I have seen since we have been here. Love, family, kids, the whole nine yards.”

Sylvie pulled him in a for a long kiss, before replying. “Babe, I can’t think of anything I would want more.”


	45. Back to Chicago

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sylvie and Matt head back to Chicago, making some plans as they drive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 45! This chapter marks the end of the Fowlerton arc and brings Sylvie and Matt back to Chicago. As always, I appreciate all of you who take time to read this story. Your comments and kudos are always appreciated. Hope you enjoy!

Around 6pm, after an early dinner of takeout that Frank went and picked up, Stephen, Kimberly and Taylor headed back to Indianapolis. However, not before hugs were shared, as well as a promise by them to come spend a long weekend in Chicago with Sylvie and Matt once the house was finished.

Matt shook Stephen’s hand, expressing his pleasure to meet him. Kimberly, though, hugged him just as she did when they got to Fowlerton. Leaning in, she whispered in Matt’s ear.

“I expect Sylvie to call and tell me she is engaged soon. Don’t let that girl go, you hear me?”

Matt simply nodded, realizing that EVERYONE in the entire Brett family was now fully aware of how serious he was about Sylvie. After they left, it was back to just Matt, Sylvie, Frank and Carol. They discussed how life was in Chicago and also about Sylvie’s new partner, Violet. At the same time as always, 10pm, Frank and Carol headed upstairs to bed.

Matt and Sylvie stayed downstairs a little while longer, trying to get a plan together for the next day. They both wanted to get back early enough so they could relax before their upcoming shift.

“Sylvie, when is your apartment lease up again?”

Sighing, she looked back at Matt. “Two weeks now.”

Pursing his lips, Matt was trying to formulate a plan. One which included sleeping with Sylvie every night. “Why don’t we head straight back to your place tomorrow and pack up everything that is left and take it back to the loft. You can just stay with me until we close on the house. Then, after shift ends, I will get a couple of guys and we will move all of your stuff into a storage building until we can move in. How does that sound?”

Sylvie moved closer on the couch to Matt, kissing him softly. “Anything that involves us in the same bed every night is good with me. Though, at least for tonight, we do need to sleep in separate ones.” 

With that plan agreed upon, they decided to leave as soon as they got up the next morning. If they got done early enough, they might even have time to head to Molly’s for a drink, since their absence there was starting to be noticed.

_______________

The next morning after breakfast, Sylvie and Matt were ready to head back. Sylvie hugged both of her parents tightly, promising to not let so much time pass before she came home again. Matt got a hug from Carol and a handshake from Frank. While Sylvie was using the bathroom, Matt turned to Frank.

“Mr. Brett, I hope to be coming back to see you soon. If you understand what I am trying to say.”

Frank laughed, acknowledging what he already knew. “I figured you would be Captain. Carol and I will look forward to that visit.”

With his truck packed and their goodbyes said, Sylvie and Matt headed back to Chicago.

As they got on the interstate, Matt asked Sylvie to get the notepad and pen that he kept in his glove compartment out. When she looked at him curiously, he smiled. “I figure we have a few hours, why don’t we talk about the money situation on the way home.”

As Matt drove, Sylvie wrote down figures. She was DEFINITELY surprised by how much Matt had in savings, dwarfing hers by a multiple of 5. What she didn’t know was the figure he gave her was minus the cost he expected to spend on her engagement ring.

In the end, they came up with a plan that worked for both of them. Even though Sylvie’s name would be on the deed to the house, Matt would cover the mortgage and renovation costs. Sylvie would use their money 50/50 to buy new furnishings for the house, at least the rooms they knew needed to be addressed first, like the master bedroom. Matt told her that they needed to upgrade from her queen to a king, if for no other reason than to have more room for certain night time activities. 

What remained unspoken during the entire conversation, was both of their beliefs that all this handling of money would be temporary, with it all changing when they got married. A fact that they both believed was now a “when”, and no longer an “if”.

__________________

Having made good time, they walked into Sylvie’s apartment a little before 10am. Immediately, her lips found his, their kiss desperate. As she pulled him back to her bedroom, she spoke to him in a husky a voice that caused him to harden.

“I figure since we made good time, we need to catch up for not making love last night.”

A plan that he wholeheartedly agreed with.

Afterwards, they both took a shower together, comfortable with where they were in their relationship, as well as where they were headed. After they dried off and got dressed again, Matt helped Sylvie pack, what ended up being 4 suitcases full of clothes, toiletries, and other miscellaneous items. He carried them to his truck while she checked to make sure everything else would be ready to move on Wednesday after shift.

Looking around her she felt a sense of sadness come over. Not because she was moving forward with Matt, that brought her nothing but happiness. No, it was because of all the memories that she had within these 4 walls. Otis, Cruz, Foster. Game nights, late nights spent talking, everything she had lived through here. All of the sudden, she felt Matt’s hands on her shoulders. Sensing what she was feeling, he simply wrapped his arms around her from behind, letting her think. It only took a few moments, but with one nod of her head, she moved all of those memories from her brain to her heart, storing them there forever.

Turning to kiss him gently, she smiled. “Let’s go.”

_____________________

Having stopped to eat lunch along the way, they were back at the loft by 2pm. It only took them 2 trips to get everything stored into Matt’s room. Once that was done, Kidd mandated that Sylvie sit down and tell her everything, while Severide and Matt went to the roof to smoke.

“Kidd, you have no idea. This has been the best two weeks of my life, by far. My family LOVED Matt, and he went above and beyond to try to win them over.”

Stella returned her friend’s smile. “I am happy for you Brett. Girl, after the year you have had, you deserve it.”

The friends talked about the house, the trip, even how the sex was with Matt. Sylvie trusted Kidd enough to know that everything that was said would stay between them. At that moment, Kidd asked her a question that surprised her.

“So Brett, how long do you think it will be before the Captain proposes to you?”

Even though Sylvie knew that was where she wanted their relationship to go, she couldn’t understand why Kidd thought that. “What makes you think Matt is going to propose to me quickly? We just started dating.”

Laughing, Stella looked at her friend with an exasperated expression. “Because Sylvie, I have seen how you and Matt look at each other. And I know for a fact that Matt doesn’t want to date you for 2 years before he proposes. Jesus, girl, he literally just bought you a house!”

Matching her friend’s smile, Sylvie leaned closer to her friend. “Well, between me and you, I hope it is soon too. Because if we have another week like we just had, I might end up asking him myself.”

_____________________

Up on the roof, Severide turned to Casey. “Case, how in the WORLD did you know I was going to propose to Stella?”

Matt laughed deeply, knocking some ashes off his pants. “Because Severide, you too have been together for a while now, and she is by far the best thing that has ever happened to you. If you weren’t thinking about it, I would tell you to start.”

Shaking his head, Kelly looked at the sky. “Well, your instincts are spot on. There is a ring locked in my quarters as we speak.”

“Good for you man.” Casey replied, patting his shoulder. “Because I was VERY serious about what I texted you. It took all I had to not ask Sylvie’s parents permission to marry her while I was there this weekend. I think once we close on the house, I will come up with a plan to propose, but only after I drive back to Fowlerton one day.”

The two of them talked and laughed, but decided that when Matt drove back to Fowlerton, Kelly would go with him under the guise of a fishing trip. That way, hopefully, Sylvie wouldn’t expect a thing.

________________

That night, the four of them went to Molly’s together, happy to catch up with the rest of their friends. Matt and Sylvie didn’t stay to late, as they both wanted to get back to bed with each other early enough where they could rest before shift. As Sylvie talked to Violet, Ritter and Gallo, Hermann leaned against the bar in front of Matt.

“Casey, I can’t tell you how happy Cindy and I are about you and Brett. You two, I don’t know, just seem to fit together.”

Looking over his shoulder at the woman he loved, he grinned back at Christopher. “I appreciate that Hermann. I don’t know what I did to deserve her, but I plan on never letting her go.”


	46. Back at Shift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Sylvie are back at shift, but a new member of the CFD makes a visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 46. This is probably the only chapter I will post today, so I made it a little longer than normal. Continued thanks to all of you who take the time to leave comments and kudos, all of them are ready and appreciated. Hope you enjoy!

The next morning as Matt drove Sylvie to the station, she turned to towards him.

“I forgot to tell you last night babe, well, because I was honestly too focused on getting you naked, that Violet is off today so I will have a floater again.”

Smiling, Matt glanced over at her. “Feel free, anytime, to focus on taking off my clothes instead of talking. That’s a policy I can get behind.”

Laughing as he parked, he got out and opened her door for her. Together, they walked hand in hand back into 51. Since Matt liked to get to shift early to meet with the Chief, she had an extra 15 minutes to kill. After getting dressed in the locker room, she headed out to the ambulance to knock out inventory before roll call. She had been working for about 10 minutes when she heard a knock on the open door of 61. Turning, she looked at the person who she assumed was her partner for the day. 

“PIC Brett? I am Ashton Roberts. I look forward to riding with you today.”

Smiling, Brett turned towards the floater, surprised at what she saw. Roberts couldn’t have been 25, with short blonde hair that she had cut where one side was longer than the other. What surprised her though, was how she was dressed. Obviously, Roberts was VERY well endowed, and her CFD issue t-shirt looked like it was 2 sizes too small for her bust size.

Getting out of the ambo, Sylvie looked up at the woman, who stood 3-4 inches taller than her.

“Sylvie Brett,” she said while shaking the woman’s hand. “Welcome to 51 for the day.”

Roberts began to tell Brett how happy she was to be there, when Brett noticed most of Squad taking in her floater as they walked by. Sylvie shot them all a mean look before she focused her attention back on the younger woman.

“I have heard really good things about 51.” Roberts stated happily. “I am really looking for to seeing how you all operate.”

Nodding, Sylvie gave her directions to the locker room, informing her that roll call would be in about 20 minutes. As she walked off, Cruz came and stood beside Sylvie. 

“Good thing I am married Brett, because I would definitely be hitting on her today!”

Sylvie swatted Joe’s shoulder, threatening to tell Chloe on him as he walked away laughing. 

Focusing again on her inventory, she wondered if she should have a conversation about appropriate attire at the CFD with the floater.

____________________

She had just finished inventory and hopped out of the vehicle, when she saw Matt leaning against the open back door. He smiled at her, before looking around to see if anyone was near them. When he found the coast was clear, he gently kissed Brett.

“I love you. I hope you have a good first day back.”

“I love you too babe.”

Matt turned to head towards the bullpen right as Roberts came back out, walking towards Sylvie. Sticking his hand out, he shook the floater’s hand.

“Matt Casey, Captain of Truck. Welcome to 51. You are in good hands with PIC Brett.”

Matt turned and winked at Sylvie, a wink that caused her heart to flutter. Roberts returned the handshake, thanking him for his welcome. As Matt headed back to his quarters, Roberts came over to Brett, turning to watch Matt walk away.

“Holy Cow! That is your Captain.” the young woman exclaimed. “He sure does fill out his uniform nicely.”

Sylvie turned to look at Roberts, whose mouth was practically hanging open. It should have made her proud to know that other woman found Matt attractive, but something about Roberts had her senses on alert. Leaning over, she whispered to the Floater.

“Just so you know, Captain Casey is my boyfriend.”

Expecting the young woman to backtrack her comments, she was surprised when Roberts didn’t. Ashton only smiled at her, before replying.

“I’m going to head in for roll call.”

In disbelief, Brett watched the paramedic literally bounce into the bullpen.

_This is going to be a LONG day,_ she thought to herself.

__________________

Roll call went well, with Chief welcoming Roberts to 51 for the day. Brett caught Kidd shooting a dirty look back at Severide, who simply raised his hands in front of him, laughing. Right as roll call was over, 61 got their first call of the day.

Luckily, it wasn’t anything serious, just a pregnant woman who had been ordered to bed rest whose BP had become elevated. They transported her to Med just to be safe, but as Sylvie drove back, she tried to learn more about Roberts.

“So Roberts, how long have you been with the CFD?”

Ashton turned and smiled at Sylvie before replying. “Only 4 months now. I was a paramedic in my hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina, but followed my boyfriend up here to Chicago. Needless to say, when we broke up, I knew I had to go back to work and luckily the CFD had a spot open. Ideally, I would be assigned to a house permanently, but I learned a long time ago that things that seem permanent may not actually be.”

Brett nodded, turning her focus back to the driving. The CFD needed more woman, so she was definitely glad that they were hiring more females now, but there was something about that last comment that didn’t sit well with her. 

Preferring not to ask any more questions, they drove back to 51 in silence.

__________________

By 1pm, Brett and Roberts had been on 4 different calls already. Any hope that Sylvie had for a slower day to ease back into shift was a distant memory. They were almost back to 51 again when they heard the call go out for all of 51’s vehicles to respond to an apartment, where the fire was already involved.

Turning around in the street, Brett hit the lights and siren, heading in the direction of the building. She quickly rattled off instructions to Roberts.

“Okay, I am not sure if you have been in this kind of situation before, but when we get there we will be in charge of triage. They might call other ambos out too, but just look at me for instructions.”

“Got it Brett.”

The minute Sylvie hit the brakes she knew this call was going to be bad. Residents were already carrying injured civilians out to the street. The two paramedics ran to the back of 61, pulling out everything they had. Sylvie had Roberts shadow here as they walked over to the first victim. Seeing more coming out, Brett immediately keyed her radio, asking Main to send out more ambulances. 

The women worked quickly, Brett impressed with how Roberts handled herself under pressure. In a matter of minutes, the rest of 51’s vehicles arrived. Chief was out of his buggy in a flash, barking orders to Casey and Severide. Brett stood up for one second, catching Matt’s gaze. They shared a simple nod before both of them returned to work. 

Within 15 minutes, 4 more ambulances had shown up. Roberts and Brett were working on the burns of an elderly lady, when Sylvie heard her radio crackle with news that caused her heart to sink.

“Chief,” Hermann yelled. “We are sending out Captain. He took a blow to his side when a door blew out.”

Sylvie immediately stood up, moving towards the front door. She caught the Chief’s gaze, as his hands made a motion to her to calm down. She was about to run to the door to be there when he came out when Roberts stopped her.

“Brett, I have got Captain. You focus on this victim.”

For a second, Brett wanted to scold the young paramedic, but she instantly knew she was right. Now that she and Casey were official, she wasn’t supposed to treat him unless it was a last resort. Begrudgingly, she let Roberts handle Casey.

Seconds later, Severide came out, his arm around Casey supporting him. Brett looked over at Matt, knowing that he was in pain, seeing the grimace on his face. As Roberts motioned Severide to the back of 61, Sylvie ran over to him.

“Matt, baby, are you okay?”

Forcing a smile, Matt turned to Sylvie. “Yeah, just took a shot to my ribs. I will be fine.”

Looking at Severide, Brett saw him nod and smile. “He’ll be fine Brett. Just had the wind knocked out of him.”

Standing there, Sylvie saw the man she loved head towards the back of her vehicle. She said a quick prayer for him, before turning back to her patient.

_______________

After setting Casey on the back of the ambulance, Severide returned to the building. Roberts opened Casey’s turn out coat, letting her stethoscope fall over his shirt, hovering his lungs.

“Well Captain, your lungs sound good. Did Severide say your side was hurt?”

Casey nodded, pointing to his left side. Quickly, she lifted his shirt, letting her hand run across his bare skin. She poked and prodded, finding a spot that made Casey practically jump off the bumper. 

“Looks like you might have a broken rib Captain. Do you want us to take you to Med to get checked out?”

Shaking his head, Casey tried to take a deep breath, feeling his side stitch as he did. “NO. Can you just wrap it and let me get back in there?”

Nodding, Roberts went to work, right as Sylvie came to check on him. The sight of Roberts’ hands running over Matt’s bare chest caused her to momentarily pause, but she shook it off and looked in Matt’s eyes.

“You okay Casey?”

Matt looked up at Sylvie, a genuine smile forming on his lips. “Roberts says it looks like I have a broken rib. I told her to wrap it so I can get back in.”

Sylvie thought about challenging him, but she knew better. A broken rib would not slow down Matt, whose pain tolerance might have matched Severide’s on a normal day. She knew that he wanted to be with his men in the field, so she grabbed his hand, squeezing it once before she turned to focus on her job.

________________

Four hours later, Brett pulled the ambulance into 51, finding all the other vehicles already back. She hoped out, starting to run to find Matt. She stopped, though, and turned towards Roberts.

“You did good today Roberts.”

Seeing the young woman smile, Sylvie ran to find her love. Matt was in his quarters, filling out paperwork. Not bothering to knock, Sylvie entered his room, closing the door behind her. Matt stood up, catching Sylvie as she embraced him.

“Don’t scare me like that babe.” She said, pulling him closer to her.

Matt kissed her forehead before letting her go. “I’m sorry. I honestly don’t know where that door came from. A fireball must have hit it, and since I was bent over, I think I caught the door knob right in my side.

Sylvie pulled his shirt up, wanting to check on him herself. She undid the wrap Roberts had done, seeing the bruising around his side. 

“Are you sure you don’t want me to take you to Med?”

Shaking his head, Matt gently kissed her. “No, I will be fine. I already took some extra strength Tylenol.”

Brett re-wrapped the gauze around his chest, kissed him once more, and then headed out to the bullpen.

____________________

At 6:30, all of 51 sat down to eat dinner. Matt was still working on paperwork, but at least came out to eat beside Sylvie. As she was eating, she happened to look up and catch Roberts staring at Matt. For a second, Sylvie just looked at the woman, who was making no attempt to stop after being caught. Needing to protect Matt, she let her hand run up his back. When Roberts saw that, she looked down and continued eating.

_What is she doing?_ Sylvie wondered.

Brett turned to see Kidd looking at her, having seen the interaction. Stella raised her arms, questioning what was going on. Sylvie just shrugged and finished her meal.

___________________

At 10:30pm, Sylvie was in Matt’s quarters. Trying not to break the promise they made again, they had his door open, but she had his shirt lifted up, checking his side. Just then, she saw Roberts walk by them, slowly taking them in.

Sylvie looked up at Matt, whispering. “What is her deal? She is ALWAYS looking at you!”

Smiling, Matt wondered if Sylvie was jealous. He chuckled, drawing a nasty look from Brett.

“Just once.” He said.

“Once what?” Sylvie asked.

At that moment, Matt kissed her deeply, letting his tongue explore her mouth. The kiss only lasted 30 seconds, but that was more than enough time for it to turn them both on. When he released her, she turned to see Roberts storming into the locker room.

“You jealous is VERY hot, Sylvie.”

She feigned anger, but she knew he was right.

“Do you want to sleep in her tonight?” Matt asked her.

“Always” Sylvie replied, before gently kissing him again.

___________________

The next morning as Matt packed up, Sylvie headed into the locker room to get her things. What she saw angered her. There was Roberts, dressed only in yoga pants and a top, neither of which did anything to hide her assets. She was about to say something to the young paramedic when Ashton walked out, throwing over her shoulder a "nice to work with you."

Brett threw everything in her bag, anxious to get back beside Matt. For some reason, she did NOT trust Roberts to be anywhere near Matt if she wasn’t there as well. She had just opened the door to the locker room when she saw Matt standing there. He took her hand, and together they walked out towards his vehicle. When Matt opened the passenger’s door for her, she could see Roberts standing further down the sidewalk out of her peripheral vision. Not caring anymore, she grabbed Matt crashing her lips against his.

As Matt feel deeper into her kiss, Sylvie opened her eyes, seeing Roberts stomp off in the opposite direction. When Sylvie broke the kiss, Matt looked at her strangely.

“Uh, not that I didn’t like that….but what was that for?”

Sylvie laughed. “That was showing someone that you are mine."

Matt shook his head, not truly understanding. “Well, I guess I was glad to be of service.”

After closing her door and walking around and getting in the truck, Sylvie turned to him. “Don’t worry baby, I am going to show you just how much of mine you are when we get home."


	47. Realizations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After shift, Matt and Sylvie do some furniture shopping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 46! This little story just crossed 10,650 hits, thanks to all of you. I appreciate all of you for taking time, out of what I know are busy days, to follow along with this story. Thanks also to all of you who leave comments and kudos, as they are more appreciated than you know. This is a little bit of a transition chapter, but things start to pick up again next chapter. Hope you enjoy!

Matt woke up a little before 10am. True to her word, Sylvie had rocked his world when they got home, both of them so exhausted afterwards that they fell back asleep. Standing up, Matt looked at the beautiful woman laying in his bed. Content with everything in his life for once, he headed out to the kitchen to start breakfast.

Waking up, Sylvie reached for Matt, not finding him. Her lips formed into a pouty grin. Getting up, she rummaged threw his closet, stopping when she found a white button up dress shirt. She put it on, rolling the sleeves up to her elbow, leaving the top buttons undone JUST enough to show him a hint of cleavage. As she looked in the mirror, she wondered how Matt would react to what she had on. 

Sylvie opened the door quietly, searching the living area for Severide and Kidd. When she didn’t see them, she headed for the sounds Matt was making in the kitchen. She stood there, watching his shirtless back, as he made eggs. Coughing, she tried to get his attention.

When Matt turned to see her, she laughed when his mouth fell open, taking her in. She looked, Matt thought…well, sexy as hell. Hot, gorgeous, beautiful, and every other descriptive that his blood starved brain couldn’t find, since all the blood in his body seemed to be flowing to a DIFFERENT area. Seeing she got the reaction she wanted, she walked over to him and pulled him down for a soft kiss.

“Sylvie, you need to wear my shirt EVERY day. You look so good.”

His compliment earned him another kiss from her, this one deeper than the last. When they broke apart, he spoke honestly to her.

“Sweetie, if you keep kissing me like that, I am going to be forced to take you back to bed. If we do that, then we won’t have time to go furniture shopping like you want.”

She couldn’t believe she forgot they were supposed to go look at furniture for the new house today. She gave him one more quick kiss, her smile widening. “Then let’s hurry up and eat breakfast. I can’t wait to go shopping with you.”

_________________

After a quick breakfast and a shower together, the couple was in his truck heading towards the first store she had picked out. The list of items they needed for the house was long and varied, but today they were simply focused on finding a new bedroom suite that would fit a king bed.

Matt had told her that he trusted her judgment if she wanted to do this by herself. But for this at least, she wanted them to do it together. As they looked at the various options, Sylvie quickly ruled out several. She didn’t want white, as she thought that looked like children’s furniture. She also didn’t want some funky, new wave design. They had agreed on the way over that it should be traditional, but still fit design wise what they were looking to do.

From time to time, Matt would suggest different pieces that they would discuss, but nothing struck BOTH of their fancies at store #1. On the way to the second store, Matt glanced over at Sylvie.

“You know, if I had more time, I could just make us what we want. I know a guy who has the tools to make furniture, but I just feel like we need to focus on the renovation first.”

Looking over at him, she had no doubt he could probably make something better than anything they would see today. She was just worried about burdening him with too much. “I have no doubt you could babe. I just worry about you. Not only are you going to be working shifts at 51, but on one of our off days you will be doing projects at the house, and on the other day you will be working your construction job. I just worry about you burning you out on everything.”

Picking up her hand, he kissed the back of it. “Don’t worry about me Sylvie. I am used to working hard. It will be just nice to work on something for us for a change.”

In the second store, she found the perfect set. It was black, with a light brown trim around the drawers. She could tell Matt wasn’t sold on it, but he admitted he liked it the best of anything that he had seen. Pursing her lips, she wanted them to WANT the same thing, since this was going to be their house. He saw her fidgeting and came over to her, wrapping his arms around her.

“Why don’t we make a deal. Let’s get this for now. I DO like it, even though I think I could build us something better. When we finish the renovations on the house, if it hasn’t grown on me yet, then I will build us something we both will love and we can put this in another bedroom. Deal?”

“Deal.” She said happily, hugging him back.

Next was mattress shopping, which was easier since Matt KNEW he couldn’t make a mattress. They ended up selecting a sleep number mattress for their new bed. They agreed it cost more than the others, but Matt didn’t want them to have to sacrifice sleep over money.

With today’s plans complete, Matt took Sylvie out for lunch. While they were there, he got a phone call that he stepped away to take. When he came back, his smile had grown. 

“That was the bank, Sylvie. They just approved my loan, so we can close as early as next week if Deidra and her family can.”

Sylvie leaned back in her chair, lost in thought, while Matt texted the owners. _This really is happening. In another week Matt and I will be living together in OUR house._

___________________

That night, Sylvie and Matt ate dinner at home with Kidd and Severide. Kelly had smoked ribs, so they all enjoyed the delicious meal and time together. Afterwards, they all laid around the den, watching TV and talking.

“I just want you two to know how much I am going to miss this. I really am excited about the new house, but I will miss seeing you two every day.” Sylvie said, honestly.

Kidd quickly got up and hugged her best friend. “We are going to miss you guys too. You know what that means though, we will just have to start having date nights at each other’s places!”

Severide and Casey toasted with their beer bottles to that idea.

Later that night, as Sylvie and Matt got ready for bed, he reminded her that he had to work on a project for a customer tomorrow. 

“That’s okay babe. I will probably try to get a spin class in and maybe look at some furniture for the living room.”

Trying to hide his smile, Matt set his back up against the headboard. What Sylvie didn’t know was that his project tomorrow was to find her the perfect engagement ring.

_________________


	48. Shopping and diner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt goes ring shopping, and takes Sylvie to dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 48! I was able to knock this chapter out a little quicker than I intended, so you all get it early today. Thanks to all of you for reading, commenting, and sending kudos. This story still has a long way to go, so hold on tight. Much like last chapter, this is a small transition chapter to get us to the next big story point. Hope you enjoy!

The next morning, Matt groaned as he untangled himself from Sylvie’s naked, sleeping form. Like always, his injury to his rib hurt more a couple of days later than it did at the scene, something he was sure Doctors had a term for.

As he sat up, he took a couple of semi-deep breaths, trying to test the limits of his side. He looked back down at Sylvie, sleeping like a baby. She was face down with one arm sprawled across the bed, covering the spot he had just occupied. Just knowing that that she didn’t have any clothes on quickened his pulse, but he willed himself to the bathroom instead, well aware he probably couldn’t have handled making love to her in his current state.

After taking a shower, reapplying his wrap, and getting dressed, Matt looked over at the clock, seeing the reading roll over to 9am. Smiling, he knew he had an hour to kill until his appointment at the jewelry store. To fill the time, he decided to make them some breakfast. 

Sylvie’s eyes started to flutter open at the smell of bacon. After the workout Matt put her through last night, she could already feel her stomach growling. She reached over on the bed, feeling the spot where he had slept already cold, signifying to her that he had been up for a while. Grabbing his white shirt out of his closest again, she walked out to the kitchen to see him.

“Morning babe.” She said as she came up behind him, wrapping her arms around his chest. 

Turning to kiss her good morning, Matt let out a guttural groan at the sight that greeted him. “Sylvie, I swear if you keep wearing my shirt in the mornings we are never getting out of bed. Trust me, if my side was hurting so much this morning, I would have attacked you earlier. You naked in my bed is DEFINITELY a look, just so you know.”

Trying to pout, Sylvie looked up at him, a forced frown on her face. “Would spending the ENTIRE day in bed with me be so bad?” she asked softly.

“Not at all,” Matt replied hastily. “Just preferably on a day when I don’t have an appointment at 10am.”

Kissing him once more, she set down at the table as he set a plate in front of her. Together for the next 15 minutes, they ate and discussed their days. 

“Hey, why don’t we get dressed up tonight and go out for dinner?” You have all of your clothes here now?” Matt asked.

She couldn’t hide the excitement she felt. Since they had started seeing each other, they truly hadn’t had many “date” nights that included them going out together. “That would be wonderful Matt. You have any place in particular?”

He shook his head. “No, but I promise I will find something. I will text you a time and place from my worksite today.”

With that settled, Sylvie headed back to the bathroom to get ready for her spin class while Matt headed out of the apartment.

____________

Matt met the Sales Representative at the jewelry store at 9:50am. He had a small idea what he was looking for, but chose this store because they could do custom rings on demand. He looked at the offerings they had on the sales floor, not finding anything that he liked. He didn’t want anything TOO big, as he didn’t want a ring to overwhelm her small, dainty hands. He also wanted the ring to symbolize everything that was important to her. After not finding anything, he met with the jeweler who showed him some past creations he had made. Looking through those, Matt quickly got an idea of what he wanted. He decided on a princess cut diamond with a small band. That band, however, had a matching wedding band that had 8 smaller diamonds on it. After they agreed on a price, Casey texted Stella to ask for her assistance. Luckily, she was home and Sylvie had already left, so she was able to help him get her ring size. 

Walking out of the store, Matt felt lighter than he had in years. Not only was he in love with an amazing woman, they would be closing on a house together in less than a week. Now, he would also have an engagement ring to give to her in less than a month.

________________

Matt got back to the loft at 5pm, having spent the rest of the afternoon meeting with clients and checking on jobs. When he walked in, he saw his toiletry bag a suit, dress shirt, underwear, shoes and socks sitting on the kitchen table. Beside that was a set of clean towels and a note from Sylvie.

_Matt,_

_Severide said you could use his shower tonight. I don’t want you to see me until I am ready._

_Sylvie_

Laughing, Matt took everything off the table and headed into Kelly’s empty bedroom, curious as to what Sylvie was being so secretive about. Since it only took Matt 20 minutes to get ready, he found himself sitting on the couch drinking a beer, trying to kill time until Sylvie came out.

He had made the reservation for 6:30pm, so he knew they had some time, but with every passing minute he felt his nervousness grow. He figured this would have been what it felt like on a first date, waiting for Sylvie to come down the stairs the first time. Unfortunately, their first date hadn’t been anything like that, so maybe tonight could be a do over for them.

_______________

At 5 minutes until 6 o’clock, Matt turned to see Sylvie come out of the bedroom. Instantly he knew his wait was worth it, because standing in front of him was nothing short of a vision. She had on a royal blue strapless dress that hung almost to the floor. He could barely see a pair of black heels, which paired with her black clutch. He let his eyes travel the length of her, from her hair that she put up, to the sapphire ear rings and necklace she wore, all the way down to her shoes.

At that moment, he was breathless, not able to produce a sound, let alone a word. Finally, he blurted out the first sentence that formed in his brain. “Sylvie, you look SO amazing.”

Smiling, she gently kissed him, not wanting to mess up her makeup. “You look pretty good yourself Babe.”, taking him in, as he was dressed in the black suit and white shirt she had picked out for him.

Taking her arm in his, they headed to his truck.

_________________

Dinner had been amazing, at an upscale bistro on the north side of town Matt had heard about. Together they talked and laughed, doing everything that they would have done on a TRUE first date. Matt enjoyed seeing all the men in the restaurant looking over at her.

“Sylvie, this kind of feels like a first date, doesn’t it?”

After their plates were cleared, Sylvie reached for his hand across the table, letting her thumb run over the back of his hand. “Yes, yes it does.”

“Well,” Matt said confidently. “Then I should tell you that I am the envy of every man here. No one can take their eyes off of you.”

She smiled, a genuine smiled that lit her face. ‘Well than, I guess it is good than that I only have eyes for my date.”

Just then, he saw her force a frown. Confused he looked at her, a devilish grin replacing her frown. “If this is REALLY out first date, Matt, then you need to know that I NEVER sleep with someone on the first date.”

Willing to play along, Matt laughed. “That’s okay Sylvie, I have waited a year for you…I think I can wait a little while longer to have you in my bed.”

Pouting, Sylvie played up her role to perfection. “That’s too bad Matt. Because I have something VERY special on under my dress that I wanted to show you later.”

For a second, Matt thought she was joking, but by the smile she gave him, he knew she was telling him the truth. Feeling sweat start to bead on his forehead, he looked up, struggling to find their waiter.

When he did, Matt looked over at Sylvie, smiling. “Check please.”


	49. The Bumpy Road of Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sylvie and Matt close on the house, but can the one thing that should bring them closer together actually tear them apart?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 49! This story just crossed 11,000 hits, which blows me away. I want to thank all of you for continuing to read this little fanfic. As always, thanks also go to all of you who send kudos and leave comments. I try to answer each and every comment made. Chapter 49 is the first part of a 2 part chapter. Hope you enjoy!

The next week saw Matt and Sylvie fall into a comfortable routine at the loft. As they sat on Casey’s bed, Sylvie couldn’t contain her excitement over what was to come.

“Babe, I can’t believe that tomorrow at this time we will actually OWN a home. I…I want…Just thank you, Matt. I am so happy that we get to do this together.” Sylvie said as they leaned against his headboard, listening to the radio.

Leaning over, he kissed her forehead. “I am just glad I finally told you how I felt about you. To think how much has changed for us in 2 months, it’s pretty crazy.”

Pulling her closer to him, she snuggled into him, finding the place on his body where hers fit perfectly. Sighing, Matt continued. “So, the closing is at 10am and shouldn’t take more than an hour. Deidra said the house is already empty, so I have got Severide and Cruz ready to meet us at 11:30 at the storage building. I figure with the four of us, we will have everything into the house in less than an hour.”

Sylvie pushed off the bed, her lips finding his. “We better get to bed than. We certainly have a big day ahead of us. I talked Kidd and Violet into helping me clean up before we start unpacking. Not everywhere, but just like our bedroom, bathroom and the kitchen, I will leave it to you men to handle the storage building.”

Kissing her back, Matt tuned the radio off with the remote, moving to lay down. Following his lead, Sylvie did the same. In a matter of seconds, they had settled into their normal position of Sylvie on her side, with Matt spooning her from behind.

“I love you Sylvie. These last 2 months have been like a dream because of you.”

Pulling him closer, Sylvie turned her head, a silly grin on her face. “I love you too Matt.”

_______________

The next day was a blur. Matt and Sylvie each signed their names so many times that their hands began to cramp. After the closing was over, Deidra and her family hugged both of them, wishing them the best as they handed them the keys.

At that point, Matt and Sylvie split up, with Matt heading towards the storage building and Sylvie taking the key and heading to the house, with cleaning supplies already loaded into her car. When she got there, she opened the door, realizing that for the first time she was walking into THEIR house. She looked around, taking it all in, trying to come up with a game plan on what to attack first. Just then, her phone rang.

“Mom, I literally just walked into the house. A house that Matt and I now OWN.”

Sylvie could hear her mother clapping for her over the phone. “Pumpkin, your Dad and I are just so happy for the two of you. We both certainly think you hit the jackpot with Matthew.”

Hopping up on the kitchen counter, a worried frown crept onto Sylvie’s face. “Mom, I know I did. I love Matt so much. It’s just…I worry you know. I haven’t had the best luck with relationships, and I definitely don’t want to do something to screw things up with Matt. Especially considering how fast things we are moving.”

Carol turned serious at her daughter’s statement. “Sylvie, now you listen to me. That man loves you more than life itself, that much is blatantly obvious. Instead of focusing on what could go wrong, why don’t you just focus on what can go right for once?”

Sylvie tried to take her Mom’s encouragement to heart. There was a small part of her, however, buried deep within, that worried if the fairytale that she and Matt were living might have a villain lurking behind some door she couldn’t see.

____________

By 2pm, the house had been cleaned as best as it could in the places that Sylvie wanted. There were boxes seemingly stacked on every flat surface anyone could find. In the master bedroom, Casey was directing the movers as to where to put their new master bedroom furniture, while Severide and Joe were putting Brett’s bed back together in one of the other bedrooms.

After all that was complete, Matt promised to buy all of them drinks at Molly’s the next time they were there, advising them that it might be a while as renovations would be underway immediately. With thanks and congratulations passed around, everyone left Matt and Sylvie to start unpacking. They stood there, with Matt’s arm around her waist, looking around at all the boxes. Sylvie felt a smile break out on her face. “Babe, can you believe we OWN this?”

Casey hugged her a little tighter, letting his lips press against her forehead. “I don’t know about you, but I see a lot of potential here for me and you.”

Turning to face him, Sylvie pulled him in for a deep kiss. When she broke away, she started heading towards the master bedroom, understanding that the unpacking could wait a LITTLE while. “You do know that we are going to have to christen EVERY room in this house, don’t you Matt?”

As soon as he saw Sylvie’s top hit the floor, he ran after. “Have I told you lately that I love how you think?”

_________________

A month into homeownership, Matt had succumbed to the pattern Sylvie had worried about before they even closed on the house. They would work shift at 51, after which he would immediately turn his attention to remodeling the house. The next day, he would focus on his construction customers, trying to keep his business going as summer turned into fall. Then, the day after that, he would return to shift to start the process over again. Sometimes he would reverse days as needed, but it was always the same movie, playing over and over again in front of Sylvie.

She had tried to talk to him about it, even helping out where and when she could. Matt kept hoping that she would understand that he was only trying to turn their house into the home she dreamed of, but sometimes he felt she didn’t see that. Unfortunately, sacrificing his time on the house meant pulling his attention from Sylvie.

He was still affectionate with her, holding her hand when they walked to and from work, while also snuggling with her in bed every night. But she could see the exhaustion that he tried to work through clearly written on his face. He was trying to be the best boyfriend, renovator, and contractor, all at the same time, and it was showing. He had started to carry dark bags underneath his blue eyes most days now due to lack of sleep.

To fight off the loneliness she had been feeling, she had started to work out more, as well as taking more frequent trips to Rockford to spend time with Amelia. She had even gone home to Fowlerton for a daytrip without Matt once, a journey she would NEVER have thought he would have missed based on how much he enjoyed his first visit to her parent’s home.

Tonight, though, Sylvie was sitting at Molly’s talking to Kidd, making another appearance again without Matt. She turned to her best friend.

“Kidd, trust me, I know how whiny I sound. I just miss the way we were BEFORE we bought the house. Matt is literally working himself to death trying to keep everything going. Almost every night after I get out of my shower, he is already asleep. Sometimes even before I get in the shower. Then the next morning is up at the crack of dawn to start again.”

Before continuing, Sylvie leaned closer to her friend. “On top of that, we haven’t had sex in well over a week, which is DEFINITELY unusual for us.”

Kidd caught Brett’s gaze, trying to find the right words to ease her friend’s mind. “Brett, you know I love you, but Captain is working this hard FOR YOU. I am sure he wants everything to be perfect for you two. I have no doubt when the renovations on the house are done that everything will be back to normal.”

That was the problem, Sylvie thought. Over the last few weeks, she could blame most everything on him working so much, but she also felt like he was pulling away from her. It wasn’t anything he did or said, it was just a feeling she had. Sometimes she even wandered if he regretted buying the house and moving in with her, though she fought off that notion most of the time. She just felt alone, and she missed her best friend. They rarely talked anymore about anything other than the house and work, which wasn’t how they were before.

_God, I hope Kidd is right,_ Sylvie prayed. Looking at her watch, she saw it was almost 10pm. Taking the last sip of her rose’, she made a decision that tonight, come hell or high water, she was going to go home and literally seduce Matt if it came to that. Kidd knew instantly what Brett was going to do by the determined look on her face. Laughing, she took the $5 bill Brett threw on the counter and wished her luck.

______________

15 minutes later, Sylvie walked into the house, more hopeful than she had been in weeks. What she saw, though, made her heart feel both sad and loved at the same time. There was Matt, literally asleep on the floor. He had been working on removing kitchen countertops and installing a new island in the kitchen since 5am this morning, and she guessed he was too tired to make it back to bed.

Immediately, she knew her plans for them tonight were over. She tried to push down the fear that was working its way up her throat. The fear she had been feeling that she was losing him. Turning, she locked the door before walking over and knelling down beside Matt.

“Babe.” She whispered, her hand moving his shoulder. “Come on, let’s go to bed.”

Matt’s eyes flickered open, settling on Sylvie. “Sylvie, what time is it?”

Feeling the tears reach her eyes, she fought to keep them down. “Almost 10 Matt. You have been working so hard you feel asleep on the floor. I am serious Matt. You HAVE to slow down. The house renovations can wait. I miss spending time with you. I miss my best friend.”

Matt propped himself up on his elbows, shaking the cobwebs from his brain. He could see that her eyes were glassy, and her tone sounded more agitated than concerned. _She has to know that I am doing all of this for her, right?_ “I will slow down Sylvie. Severide and I are actually going fishing right after next shift, so I will relax then.”

That news hit Sylvie with unexpected force, causing the tears she had held back to now run freely down her cheeks. She stood back up, helping Matt get to his feet. As soon as he was up, she went straight to the master bath to take a shower. For the first time since they had been together, she hoped that Matt would be asleep when she came out.

_______________

At 51 two days later, Matt knocked on the door of Severide’s quarters. Things between him and Sylvie had been tense over the last few weeks, but the last two days saw them reach a new level. Right now, he wasn’t sure driving to Fowlerton was the best thing right now.

“Kel, I am not sure about going to Fowlerton. Sylvie is really upset that we haven’t been spending any time together. Maybe I should just call her parents and ask them for permission?”

Looking over at his former roommate, Severide knew his friend was in a bind. He had heard from Stella just how upset Brett was, and an unexpected “fishing trip” had made things between Casey and Brett even worse. The tension had gotten so bad that the Chief even asked him if everything was okay. “I don’t know Case, I really don’t. I know you, and I know you want to ask Brett’s parents the right way. Don’t you think she will forgive you once she finds out what this trip is really about?”

Matt pondered Severide’s words. He did want to ask Frank and Carol the right way, not over the phone. He just needed Sylvie to understand, without finding out the REAL reason, why this trip was so important. If he was honest with himself, he missed her too. He just wanted to give her the house of her dreams as quickly as possible.

Before he left, Casey leaned closer to Severide. “Just bring the ring with you tomorrow, okay?”

Severide patted his locked cabinet drawer, where both he AND Matt’s rings currently resided. “10-4.”

Turning, Casey headed towards the apparatus floor, a place Sylvie had been spending the majority of her time lately. As soon as Violet saw Matt coming, she made an excuse to head inside, leaving her partner alone. Coming around the back of the vehicle, he saw Sylvie sitting on the gurney in the back on her vehicle, looking at her phone.

“Sylvie, can I talk to you a second?”

Her eyes looked tired, missing the normal sparkle they carried. Figuring she wasn’t going to speak first, Matt tried to come up with a compromise. “Look, I know you are mad at me about this fishing trip. I really am sorry that I didn’t mention it to you earlier, but I just need you to know it’s important. I don’t want to tell you why, but I just need you to trust me. When I come back, what if I cancel all my construction jobs the next day, and we just spend it together, you and me at home?”

She just sat there looking at him, Matt oblivious to everything that was going on in her mind. The worry she had spoken to her mother the day of closing had magnified itself, to the point that she worried whether Matt was even in love with her anymore. She couldn’t help it, but lately everything he did or said she analyzed, over and over again, searching for some hidden message that he didn’t feel the same for her. Or still did. Or some combination of the two. It was exhausting, and now most nights she was as tired as he was, not sleeping due to her worry. Taking a deep breath, she looked down at the floor. “Okay.”

It was all she could say. She didn’t have the strength to come up with anything else.

Matt looked down at the ground, following her eyes. “I love you Sylvie, you need to know that.”

Looking over at him, her words shook him to his core.

“I know.”

It was the first time in their relationship that he wondered, truly wondered, if Sylvie had fallen out of love with him.

_________________

As soon as shift was over, Matt hung back to meet with the incoming Captain as he often did. Less than ten minutes later, he walked to the locker room to say goodbye to Sylvie, surprised to find that she had already left. Matt cursed himself. _Fucking great Matt. How could you screw up something with Sylvie that was going so good?_

Hanging his head, he went outside to find Severide standing by his truck. A truck that was currently full of fishing equipment that were only there for show. “Let’s go Kelly. I need to get to Fowlerton and back as soon as possible.”

______________

As soon as Matt pulled into the Brett driveway, he saw Carol come out on the porch, surprise written all over her face. When Matt and Kelly got out, she came down the stairs and gave Matt a hug. 

“What on earth are you doing here Matthew?”

Hearing Severide snicker at the name she called him, Casey introduced Carol to Severide. After they also exchanged a hug, Matt turned to Carol. “I need to speak with you and Mr. Brett if that’s possible?”

______________

TO BE CONTINUED


	50. The Bumpy Road of Life, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sylvie feels Matt is pulling away. He hopes she understands that everything he is doing is for her. Can the two of them find the love that they used to see in each other's eyes?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 50! It is crazy that I have just finished chapter 50, and this story has SO much more room to run. This is the second part to Chapter 49. Originally, I thought it would just be two parts, but now its looking like it will be 3. As always, thanks to all of you who take time to leave me comments. Some of you have an eye for where you think this story is going, so it is nice to be able to throw in a few surprises for you every now and then. This chapter ended up MUCH longer than I hoped, so will try to get the 3rd part up tonight or tomorrow morning. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

As soon as shift had finished, Sylvie ran out of the station to her car. She hated not saying goodbye to Matt, but she was hurt. Hurt that he would choose to take a day off to go fishing with Severide instead of spending it with her, even after she had told him how much she missed him. Hurt that she felt like he was pulling away from her. Hurt most of all, that Matt had told her that the fishing trip was important. _How in the hell can a fishing trip be important?_

As soon as she got home, she quickly packed a bag before leaving Matt a note.

_Matt,_

_I am going to spend the next couple of days by myself. I just need to some time to figure out what is going on and to get my head straight. I will call you tomorrow._

_Sylvie_

With that done, she hopped into her car, along the way calling the Chief and asking for the next shift off, which he reluctantly gave her. She hoped that the next 4 ½ days out of Chicago would help her come to terms with everything that was going on between her and Matt. She still loved Matt with all of her heart, but she wanted to feel like they were in this together again, like it had been at the beginning. Now, it just felt like they were roommates.

As her car hit the on ramp to the interstate, she prayed everything would work itself out and that she was doing the right thing by taking a few days to herself. Even if her leaving meant Matt took tomorrow off for nothing.

_______________

In Fowlerton, Frank had just come up from the farm, surprised to see the Captain at their house WITHOUT his daughter. Carol had just put lunch on the table, and the four of them set down to eat. While Mr. and Mrs. Brett got to know Kelly better, they both could sense that Matt wanted to talk to them alone, and they were fine waiting until after lunch for that.

After they all finished the sandwiches that Carol had made, Casey threw his head towards the porch, the signal Kelly had been waiting for.

“If you two will excuse me, I think I am going to go sit on the porch for a while.” Kelly said before patting Matt’s back.

As soon as Severide was outside, Matt turned to Sylvie’s parents. “Mr. and Mrs. Brett, by now you both have probably figured out why I am here, right?”

The couple exchanged glances, a smile forming on both of their faces. “Yes Captain, I believe we do.” Frank replied.

“Mr. and Mrs. Brett, I am completely in love with your daughter. She is the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I can’t think of a better way to spend the rest of my life than knowing that she will be beside me. Of course, that is if she will have me. What I a, asking is if I have your permission to ask Sylvie to marry me?”

Matt had been practicing his speech on the entire drive here. Never, in any of his trial runs had he added the part about wondering if Sylvie would have him. For some reason, though, he knew that was a question he wouldn’t have thought of 3 weeks ago.

Standing up, Frank reached for Matt’s hand. “Son, we would like nothing more than to have you join our family. “

Shaking his hand firmly, Casey saw Carol come around the table to hug him again. “Matthew, I am just so excited for you two! Seeing the way you two acted when you were here, I just know you are going to make our pumpkin happy. When are you planning on asking her? Do you have a ring yet?”

At that point, Casey yelled out to Severide to bring in the rings. Carol and Frank gathered around to look at them. They both could see the princess cut diamond engagement ring sitting on a small platinum band, with 3 diamonds on each side of it. Below that was the platinum wedding band that featured 8 different colored gems.

“What are those different ones for?” Carol asked.

Smiling, Matt was especially proud of this part. “Each gem represents the birth month of someone in Sylvie's family. There is yours and Mr. Brett’s, Stephen’s, Kimberly’s, Taylor’s, Julie’s, Amelia’s, and last of all mine. I had to look through the calendar on her phone one morning when she was asleep to find them, but luckily all of them were in there.”

Carol put her hand over her mouth, surprised at the thoughtfulness. “How on earth did you ever find something like this?”

“I met with a jeweler in Chicago who designs rings. No one will ever have another ring, at least in town, like this. Best of all, he has designed the wedding band so we can add more gems down the road in case, well, we have any children.”

Pulling Casey into another bear hug, Carol couldn’t have been happier for her daughter. “Any idea when you are going to give it to her?” Frank asked.

“Not yet, sir. I figure I will know the right time when it hits me.”

____________________

Sylvie was 15 minutes outside of town when she looked at her gas gauge. She had hoped to get there without stopping, but she saw now that wasn’t a possibility. Looking ahead, she could see a BP sign raised into the sky a little further down the road. Pushing down her turn signal, she turned across traffic into the station and up to a pump. Getting out, she opened the small gas door, stuck her credit card in the machine, and started pumping gas. It was then she heard someone call out to her.

“Sylvie? What are you doing here?”

Turning to her right, she saw him. Kyle, of all people, filling up his pickup truck right in front of her. “Hey Kyle, I just came in to see my parents.”

Even from 20 feet away, Kyle could see she had been crying. He let go his pump handle and walked over to her. “Are you okay Sylvie?”

His simple question was all it took. All the worry and stress she had been feeling rushed out of her. Kyle told her to go back and sit in her car, giving her shoulder a squeeze, while he finished pumping her gas. When he was finished, he walked over to the driver’s door. 

“Sylvie, I know we aren’t together anymore, but if you want to talk, I will listen.”

Nodding her head, Sylvie knew that was exactly what she needed. She needed to talk to someone who had NO involvement with her, Matt, or 51. She needed an impartial ear, and even if that ear belonged to Kyle, she was going to take it. 

Motioning to 2 parking spots that faced the road, Kyle told her to go ahead and park over there while he finished up. After he was done, he pulled his truck into the spot beside her. Brett got out of her car, meeting him in front of hers. There, at a BP station off the main drag into town, Sylvie told him everything she was feeling and worried about.

Sylvie didn’t know how long they had been there, but when she looked down at her watch, she saw that she had been talking Kyle’s ear off for 30 minutes. “Kyle, I am so sorry about this.” She said sheepishly. “You didn’t have to sit here and listen to me talk about Matt for half an hour. I really do appreciate it though.”

Kyle smiled, taking in the beautiful woman he used to love. “It’s okay Sylvie. My job is to counsel fireman. So what if today it just happened to be a paramedic from Chicago.”

Laughing, for the first time in days, Sylvie met his smile before Kyle got serious. “I always kind of wondered if there was something between you and Matt. There was just something about the way you two looked at each other.”

Sylvie was about to protest. She needed him to know that nothing had happened until a few months ago, but Kyle just put up his hand. “I know Sylvie, you don’t have to defend yourself. I know you weren’t with Matt when we were together.” Taking a deep breath, he continued. “I just know that if I was in Matt’s shoes, I would want the woman I loved to tell me EVERYTHING that was worrying her. I bet if the two of you do that, you all will be fine. Casey never struck me as the type to fall in love easily, and he definitely doesn’t strike me as the kind to fall out of it.”

Everything he said was exactly what she needed to hear. At that moment, she made up her mind to spend only one night with her parents, and then get up at the crack of dawn tomorrow and drive back to Chicago and talk with Matt. To tell him everything and anything that she was worried about. God only knew how much she loved Matt, and she wasn’t going to let the train run off the tracks this early in their relationship.

Reaching out, she hugged Kyle. “Thank you so much for this Kyle. You have no idea what it means to me.”

Hugging her back, Kyle chuckled. “Anytime Sylvie. Remember, I loved you once too. I only want you to be happy.”

As they broke their hug, Sylvie heard the sound of an engine speed up and fly by them. Just for a second, a thought floated through her mind.

_Wow, for a second, I could have sworn that was Matt’s truck._

__________________

They had just driven by when Kelly saw them out of his passenger window. For a moment, he was sure his eyes were deceiving him, but the closer they got he knew they weren’t. There was Sylvie, hugging her ex-fiance Kyle. He prayed Casey didn’t see the same thing, but when the gas pedal hit the floor, he knew he had. He looked over at his friend, seeing his hands grip the steering wheel tighter.

“Come on Case, you don’t really think that Brett would cheat on you, do you? I have NO doubt that what we just saw was completely innocent.”

At that moment, Matt’s jaw was clinched so tight he worried he might break his teeth. Did he think Sylvie would actually cheat on him? Of course not. But if she wasn’t cheating on him, why in the hell was she in Fowlerton, hugging Kyle?

Matt tried to take a deep breath to calm his nerves, but it didn’t work. He glanced over at Severide, ignoring the earnest look on his friend’s face.

“I just want to get back home to Chicago, Kelly.”

_________________

TO BE CONTINUED


	51. The Bumpy Road of Life, Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sylvie gets home to find her parents acting strangely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 51. I have decided to stop guessing how long these arcs are going to be at the beginning, because I obviously am terrible at getting it correct. This is part 3 of this little story arc, and I have no idea when it will finish up. The more I write this wrinkle, the more potential plot twists I find I can throw in. Once again, thanks to all of you who are reading along and enjoying this story. As I mentioned in some of the comments, it's nice to throw a curve ball to all of you every once in awhile, because just like real life, every relationship hits the occasional pot hole. Hope you enjoy!

Fifteen minutes later, after she hugged Kyle goodbye, she pulled into her parent’s driveway. Frank was in the middle of placing Matt’s business card, which he had written his cell number on the back of, onto the refrigerator under a magnet. That was when he heard another vehicle pull into the driveway.

“Carol, someone else is here.” He yelled to his wife upstairs. He had just started to walk towards the front door when Sylvie opened it.

“Pumpkin…what in the world are you doing here?”

Sylvie laughed at his reaction before she hugged him. “Nice to see you too, Daddy. Thanks for that welcome.”

As Frank was hugging his daughter, Carol came down the stairs. Seeing Sylvie in her father’s arm, she shot a questioning look at her husband. He simply shrugged his shoulders after he released his daughter.

“Mom.” Sylvie said, wrapping her in a hug too. 

“Sylvie, I didn’t know you were coming today. What brought this on?”

Throwing herself on the couch, Sylvie looked up at her parents. “I just needed to get away from Chicago for a few days. But since I left, I have changed my mind and I am going to head back tomorrow morning.”

Carol set down beside her daughter, patting her knee. “Now pumpkin, you know I will take any visit I can get from you, but why don’t you tell me what is really going on.”

Letting her head fall to her chest, Sylvie should have expected her Mom to question her the second she got home. “It’s Matt, Mom.”

Frank and Carol exchanged a quick glance before focusing their attention back on their daughter.

“I don’t know what happened, but after we bought the house, all Matt does is work. Between 51, the house, and his construction business, I swear he has been working eighteen hours a day EVERY day since we moved in.”

Sylvie took a breath before she continued. “And to top that off, the very day I tell him that I miss him and want to spend more time with him, he decides to tell me he and Severide are going on an “important” fishing trip. When has a fishing trip ever been important? It just feels…well, it seems like he is pulling away from me.”

Looking at her daughter’s sad eyes, Carol debated on what she could say to her without divulging the real reason Casey had for lying to her.

“Look pumpkin,” her Dad said, chiming in on the conversation. “you know there is nothing wrong with hard work. I would rather have my…uh, Matt work too much than too little. You even told us yourself that the house needed a lot of work.”

She knew her Dad was right, but they were missing the big picture. “I know Dad, and you’re right. Matt is doing a great job on the house so far. I just miss spending time with him, that’s all. We are hardly able to spend any time together, and when we do, he is exhausted. I am worried he is working himself to death as a way to stay away from me. It’s okay, though, because I do feel better now. I stopped to get gas right before I got here over at the BP on 13. Coincidentally, Kyle was there filling up too. He saw I was upset, and we had a long talk that helped me understand that what I really need to do is head back to Chicago tomorrow and sit down and talk to Matt. I just need to be honest, and tell him everything I have been feeling and worrying about. Pretty much just lay all of my cards on the table. To make matters worse, Matt even took the whole day off tomorrow, just because I asked him to, but then I decided to come here. I feel terrible…I didn’t even tell him I was coming here or say goodbye to him. I just left a note for him at the house. I have got to do some apologizing to him myself in person.” Sylvie couldn’t help but wince at that last part. It sounded bad, she knew, but at least it was the truth.

“And on top of all of that,” Sylvie laughed. “I saw a truck in town that looked just like Matt’s. So now, all I want to do is hug him and tell him how sorry I am.”

Carol and Frank exchanged worried looks. Everything that their daughter was saying was beginning to compound the concern they had. “Pumpkin, how long ago EXACTLY were you at the BP with Kyle?” Frank asked.

Not understanding the significance of the question, Sylvie threw out an answer. “Probably like 10-15 minutes before I got here. Why?”

Patting Sylvie’s knee again, Carol had caught up with her husband’s question. “Pumpkin, I think you need to call Matt. Right now, honey.”

The vibe her parents were giving off was causing the hair to stand up on the back of her neck. “Mom, Dad, why EXACTLY do I need to call Matt right now?”

Shaking his head, Frank knew he couldn’t betray Matt’s trust. Not now, after he had driven all this way to ask for Sylvie’s hand like a proper gentleman. Something her two previous fiances didn’t have the courage to do, he considered. “Sylvie, you just need to trust us. Call Matt.”

Sylvie was starting to get frustrated by her parent’s cryptic responses, but she pulled her cell phone out of her purse and hit the speed dial key assigned to his name. She listened to it ring 5 times before his voicemail came on. Disconnecting the call, she looked up at her parents. “See, no answer. He and Severide are probably at some lake in God knows where right now. He might not even have a signal.”

Frank had a bad feeling about all this. He knew that if he was in Matt’s shoes and had driven by his girlfriend talking to her ex, especially when he thought she was home, he would have gotten the wrong impression. Walking over to the table, he picked up their landline and took it into the kitchen. Reading the number off the back of Matt’s card, he quickly punched the numbers into his phone. He got the same thing Sylvie had, but he left a voicemail.

“Son, this is Frank. You need to call Sylvie back as soon as you get a chance.”

Heading back over to where Carol and Sylvie sat, Frank knew he had to say something. “Pumpkin, I think you need to head back to Chicago right now and talk to Matt. I can’t tell you why, but you need to trust your Mom and Dad on this one.”

Sylvie looked back and forth at her parents in disbelief. _Are they serious? I just got here._ She turned to look at her Mom, seeing the same expression her father had. Standing up, she felt her frustration start to build. “Okay, both of you. You need to tell me the truth about what is going on here and you need to tell me now.”

______________

On the interstate, Severide heard Matt’s phone ring. “Do you want me to get that for you?”

Matt shook his head. He didn’t want to talk to anyone right now, and he certainly didn’t want Kelly answering his phone for him. “No.”

When the phone rang a second time a minute later, Severide looked over at Matt again, only to see the same response. Thinking he could help him, Severide pulled his phone out of his back pocket. Just as he unlocked it, Matt spoke up.

“Kel, I don’t need you to text Sylvie for me, okay? And no texting Kidd asking her to text Brett. This is between me and her, you got that?”

Reluctantly, Severide put his phone back in his pocket. Looking over at the speedometer, he knew that with the speed Casey was driving they would be back in Chicago well before dinnertime. He would just text Brett when he got in his own car.

__________________

Frank sat down on the other side of where Sylvie had been, waiting for her to sit down again. After a few moments of silence, Frank told her the least bit of information he could to get her to listen to them. “Pumpkin, the truck you saw that you said looked like Matt’s…well it was Matt. They were heading back to Chicago when they passed you.”

Standing there in stunned silence, Sylvie tried to wrap her head around what her father had just said. Why was Matt and Severide in Fowlerton? Why would he lie and say he was going fishing? Why hadn’t he asked her to come here with him? Then, all the sudden, one question overrode every other. _Did Matt see me hugging Kyle?_

Looking back and forth between both of her parents, she asked the one question she needed answered most. “Why was Matt here?”

Carol looked at Frank, whose eyes were currently searching the carpet in an attempt to look anywhere other than his daughter. Knowing she had to take the lead on this one, she stood up beside her daughter. “Pumpkin, Matthew will have to tell you that, we can’t. You only need to know that he came to see us today with the best of intentions.”

_That didn’t help me at all_.

Hugging them again, Sylvie headed back out to her car and home to Chicago. She didn’t know what to expect when she got there, but she knew she had to talk to Matt and sort all of this out once and for all. However, there was one lingering thought she couldn’t shake. _Does Matt think I am cheating on him?_

___________________

_TO BE CONTINUED_


	52. The Bumpy Road of Life, Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Casey and Severide are on their way back to Chicago with Sylvie following them. Can Brett and Casey talk this out?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 52! Thanks to all of your who are reading along with my story. Also, like always, appreciate your comments and kudos. Some of have realized, just like me, that NOTHING on Chicago Fire ever happens without a little drama. Hope you enjoy!

Getting back in her car, Sylvie tried to call Matt once more, listening as it went to voicemail. This time, she left a message.

“ _Matt, this is Sylvie. You need to call me as soon as you can. We need to talk_.”

Turning her ignition to start her car, she turned around and headed right back towards Chicago, somehow starting to feel worse than when she left.

________________

Casey and Severide were one hour outside the city when they saw they sky turn grey. Storm clouds were rolling in off the Great Lakes, and they both knew that they wouldn’t make it home before the rains came. For Matt, the storm clouds approaching matched his mood. He didn’t want to consider Sylvie cheating on him, but she had seemed to be pulling away from him for the last few weeks. The biggest question he couldn’t find an answer for was why she was in Fowlerton in the first place? She hadn’t said anything to him going to see her parents, and normally when she did visit them, she always stayed the night. Why did she accept his offer to take tomorrow off if she knew she was going to be out of town?

The entire ride back all he could see was the smile she had on her face as she hugged Kyle. For some reason, he knew that was going to be the picture in his mind when he went to sleep tonight.

________________

Sylvie normally tried not to use her phone while she drove, having seen the resulting wrecks it caused. However, she considered this an emergency. She had called Matt four more times in the last two hours, all of them going to voicemail. She had texted him a few times too, all with the same message of asking him to call her. At her wits end, she called Kidd.

“Hey you!” Kidd said chipperly.

“Kidd, have you talked to Severide since this morning?”

Kidd could hear that something was off in her friend’s voice, but she couldn’t figure out what. “Well hello to you too, Brett. No, I haven’t talked to Kelly since he and Matt left this morning. Kelly did tell me that he thought they would be back by 6pm, though. Why?”

Needing someone to vent too, Brett told her friend everything that had happened since Matt had come to see her in her ambulance yesterday at shift. After she spilled her guts, she waited in silence to hear her friend’s advice.

“You don’t really think that Matt believes you are cheating on him, do you?”

“I don’t know Kidd. When I caught hugging Violet that time, he told me immediately that she was his niece. Today, it seems like he caught me hugging Kyle, who is my freaking ex-fiance. That’s all I thought about for the last few hours. Even if Matt doesn’t think I am cheating on him, it must look horrible to him, seeing me hugging Kyle, especially when he had no idea that I was going to be in Fowlerton today in the first place. Why else would he not be answering my calls?”

Truthfully, Stella didn’t have a good answer for that. She knew if she caught Kelly in the same situation, she would automatically think the worst, and they were even in a great place now. What did Matt think, knowing all the other things that had been going on between him and Brett recently?

“Brett, do you have ANY idea why Severide and the Captain would be at your parent’s house today?”

All of the sudden, the one word that Kidd had just spoken hit her like a ton of bricks. _Captain._ Her Dad hadn’t called him that today. He called him Matt. One time, even, he started to call him something else before he caught himself. At that moment, everything started to make sense.

“Uh, Brett? Did I lose you?”

“No Stella, I am still here. I think Matt drove to see my parents to ask their permission to propose to me.”

________________

Matt pulled up beside 51 to drop Severide off at his car. They had been driving in the pouring rain for the last 30 minutes, so Kelly stayed in the car for a second.

“You going to be okay, man?” he asked Casey.

Nodding once, Casey looked over at his former roommate. “Yeah I will. I appreciate you going with me today. I’m just sorry this all blew up on me like it did.”

Severide was about to say something he else when he saw Matt put his truck back in drive. “Okay Case, come by the loft if you need us, or call me.”

As soon as Severide was out of the truck, Matt pulled off and drove away. Kelly, moving as fast as he could to avoid getting wet, opened his car door and got in. He immediately pulled out his phone and texted Sylvie.

Severide: You need to call Matt as soon as you can.

With that done, he headed off towards the loft, looking forward to a drama free night with Stella.

_____________

Forty-five minutes away from Chicago, Sylvie heard the chime of an incoming text. She grabbed her phone, trying to concentrate on driving at the same time. Opening her phone, she saw it was from Severide. She quickly read his message before throwing her phone into the passenger’s seat. _Dammit Severide, what do you think I have tried to do all day!_

Reaching back over, she picked up her phone and dialed Matt one more time. When it went to voicemail again, she pounded the steering wheel with her hands in frustration.

_____________

Matt had just walked into the house, leaving all the fishing equipment in his truck. He didn’t care about it. All he wanted to do tonight was drink enough beers to drown out the picture of Sylvie hugging Kyle that had been on loop in his mind since they left Fowlerton. He had only gotten 10 feet into the house when he saw her note on the counter. Picking it up, he read it. _She wants to spend the next couple of days by herself? Then what in the hell is she doing meeting up with Kyle at the edge of her hometown?_

He could feel his anger start to grow. The more he thought about her and Kyle, the angrier he got. She had LEFT Kyle and come back to Chicago on her own. He had let her go. He didn’t fight for her like he should have, because if she was happy with Kyle then he would have been happy for her. Yes, it would have hurt like a son of a bitch, but he would have done it. For her. But she came back, and they eventually found each other. So why all of the sudden was the Chaplain back in the picture again? He looked around him at the walls of the house. For a split second, he regretted ever coming to look at this house.

The only thing he knew, right then, was that he couldn’t stay in that house tonight. There were too many memories of Sylvie in those walls. Walking into the bedroom, he grabbed his CFD bag, throwing enough clothes in it to get him through the next day or two. With that done, he picked up his bag and walked back out to his truck, not realizing that his cell phone was still on the counter.

_____________


	53. Storm of Emotions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt is already back in Chicago, with Sylvie trying to get there too. Will they finally talk?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 53! I see a lot of you are REALLY trying to figure out what happens in this little arc, as your comments are finding all kinds of sub plots that this arc could go on. I am glad this tangent has gotten some strong feedback. Just like in life, relationships are never perfect, and there are always misunderstandings. Hope you emjoy!

Sylvie drove as fast she could safely go in the downpour she was witnessing. It seemed as if Chicago had decided to do everything in its power to slow down her attempt to get home to Matt. Finally, after what seemed like one of the longest hours of her life, she pulled into their driveway. Letting her head fall back against the headrest, she knew that the absence of Matt’s truck meant he was somewhere else. Grabbing her bag out of the back seat, she ran into the house as fast as she could to avoid getting soaked. An attempt that she miserably failed at. 

When she unlocked the door, she called out for him one time, hoping by some miracle he was home even when his truck wasn’t. Of course, her call had been met only with silence, if you didn’t count the rain coming down as one. Reaching in her purse, she grabbed her phone. Hitting his speed dial key, she was surprised to hear Matt’s phone ring behind her. Walking over to the countertop, she left her hand run over the smooth wood of the kitchen island he had built. An island that was hand made by him, just because she asked him to. Reaching out, she picked up his phone, seeing the litany of missed calls, voicemails, and text messages that remained undisturbed on the home screen. 

Letting her back slide down the island, she came to rest on the floor, letting the tears in her eyes fall like the rain outside.

_______________

Matt had been driving around the city for the last 20 minutes, trying to figure out what to do. He knew he probably could crash with Kidd and Severide, but he honestly didn’t know if he the strength to listen to Stella badger him all night about Sylvie. Part of him wanted to go over to Molly’s and drink until he could no longer see the image of Sylvie and Kyle in his mind, but after he did that, where would Hermann send him to sleep it off? Finally, he decided to go to the only place he could think of where no one knew what was happening. As he turned left to head to Christie’s house, he reached for his phone to call and make sure she was home.

When he couldn’t find it after his initial search, he pulled his truck into a parking space on the side of the street. He thoroughly searched his bag, the truck console, and anywhere else he thought his phone may be. Finally, he placed his forehead on the steering wheel, trying to regain his composure. _Shit. Can this day get ANY worse?_

Turning his truck in an illegal U-turn, he headed back towards the last place he wanted to be right now….their house.

_______________

Sylvie had let herself cry for a few minutes before pulling herself together. In quick succession, she called anyone she could think of who might know where Matt was. After Severide told her he didn’t, he called Molly’s to see if Casey was there. After that, she even called Bodden, asking him if he had seen Matt since shift. When she hung up from her call with the Chief, she looked up at the ceiling. _Where in the hell is Matt?_

Racking her brain, she tried to think of anyone or anyplace she hadn’t thought of yet. Just then, an idea came to her. Grabbing Matt’s phone, she opened it and found his sister’s number in his contacts. Hitting the call button, she prayed he was there. If he wasn’t, she knew she was out of options, short of driving around the entire city of Chicago looking for him.

_______________

Matt was driving back to the house when he passed by Molly’s. Part of him wanted to stop and have a drink, but he knew he wasn’t in the mood for anyone at 51 to ask him what was up with him and Sylvie. He had seen how they had been looking at him. Somehow, it had been easier to hide the fact that he and Sylvie were together than it was when they were having problems. The same thing used to happen when he and Gabby fought, and he had promised himself not to let that happen again. Pushing the thought of a drink out of his mind, he looked out his window at the storm clouds still overhead. Unfortunately, it looked like this storm was going to last a while. Stopping at a stoplight, he knew he needed to make a decision on what to do next. In that moment, he just decided to continue to head home and drink until he couldn’t feel anything. At least that way, he wouldn’t have to worry about where to sleep. Besides, Sylvie would be in Fowlerton until tomorrow at least. That is, if she even came back to Chicago at all. 

_______________

Sylvie disconnected the call with Christie. She hadn’t seen or heard from Matt either. She knew that was a terrible first impression for the woman she hoped to call her sister-in-law one day, but right now she didn’t care. For a brief second, she listened to the wind howl, shaking the trees outside and causing the house to creak as it pushed back against the wind. She knew, right then, the only thing she wanted was to be snug in Matt’s arms, with all of this behind them. Standing back up, she grabbed her bag and headed into their bedroom….well, the room she still hoped was their bedroom.

_______________

When Matt drove up to the house, he was shocked to see Sylvie’s car already parked in the driveway. _What in the world is she doing here?_ Not knowing what to do, he sat there, his truck idling in the middle of the street. He could go inside the house and talk to Sylvie about what he saw today, or he could leave his phone and go to Christie’s house, leaving their discussion until another time, once he had calmed down some.

After one deep breath, he turned his truck into their driveway.

______________

Sylvie was cleaning out her bag, placing everything back in the places where they had been less than 12 hours before. She had been trying to remember the exact moment when things between her and Casey had started to fray, but she couldn’t come up with an exact moment. It was almost like the tide rolled out on them, and when it did, it left uncovered some previous unknown issues between them. The only thing that she knew for sure was that Matt hadn’t been pulling away from her over the last few weeks like she thought. If he had been, why would he have bothered to drive to her parents to see them, and more than likely ask their blessing to propose to her? If she was right in her assumption about the real reason behind Matt’s trip, then it boiled down to the fact that SHE had been the one pulling away. The only question was, how could she get Matt and her on the same page again?

She had just closed her underwear drawer when she heard the front door open. Turning, she ran out into the living room. There was Matt, standing in front of the open door, soaking wet. Her first instinct was to run over and hug him, but something held her back. Fear, uncertainty, dread, she honestly had no idea. Whatever it was, though, it had anchored her to where she was standing, 15 feet away from him.

Looking at him, she tried to get a read on what he was thinking, but he gave away nothing. His face was like a blank piece of canvas, a fact that might have scared her more than if he was upset. Trying to summon whatever courage she could find, she tried to apologize to him.

“Matt…”

When he held up his hand, she stopped talking. They stood there for a few seconds more, before she saw his head fall to his chest. It sat there for only a moment before he looked back at her.

“Sylvie, I just need you to tell me why you lied to me.”

________________


	54. Standing in The Middle of a Downpour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sylvie answers Matt question with questions of her own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 54! Since I have had quite a few of the most active commenters asking for another chapter tonight, you are getting it 14 hours early. I hope you are enjoying this little detour our story has taken. Hope you enjoy!

Immediately, Sylvie could feel her walls start to come up. “Lie to you, Matt. When did I lie to you?”

Casey walked over to the where her note laid on the floor. Picking it up, he read the line to her. “I just need some time to myself.” Looking up at her, she could see the hurt in his eyes. “When did spending time alone start to include your ex?”

She tried to keep calm, but damn it, she was hurt too now. She didn’t know why she was hurt, but all she wanted to do was fight back. “Don’t you go there Casey. When I saw Kyle today, he could tell I was upset. He gave me someone to talk to, though. Which is a lot more than I can say for you lately.”

The last words she practically spat at him. _Why I am doing this,_ she wondered? _I don’t want to argue with him, I want him to hold me. I want us to work this out._ No matter what she thought, though, her mouth wasn’t cooperating with her heart.

“And if you want to talk about lying Matt, then why did you tell me you were going fishing today? Couldn’t you have told me truth about going to see my parents?”

Matt could see their conversation was spiraling out of control. He had this same kind of fight with Gabby too many times over the years to know that as both of them dug their heels in, no one ever won. All these fights ever did was chip away at the bond that held them together.

Bringing his hands up to his face, he let the cover they provided give him a brief respite from her onslaught. When he brought them down, the hurt in his eyes were gone. All that remained was sadness.

“Sylvie, I am sorry about all this. I truly am. I didn’t tell you the truth about today because I wanted to surprise you, which obviously won’t happen now.” He took a deep breath before he continued. “And I am glad that you found something in Kyle that you couldn’t get from me. It’s not the first time that I have been accused of that in my life, so I guess it shouldn’t surprise me. I just hope he can make you happy.”

With that said, he turned around to head back to his truck.

Sylvie stood there in shock, replaying in her head the last minute of her life. _What in the hell just happened?_ She knew that this whole situation was reaching a breaking point, especially if Matt thought she was getting back with Kyle. It was then that it dawned on her that she hadn’t told Matt she ran into Kyle by accident. When she looked up, he had just closed the door behind him.

_______________

Running towards the front door, she threw it open and ran out into the rain. Casey had just put his hand on the handle of his truck, when he heard her.

“Matt, stop. Please!”

Turning around Matt watched her as she ran over to him. When she got there, she told him everything. 

“Baby, I am sorry. I DID NOT go to Fowlerton to see Kyle. I swear I didn’t. This is all just a big misunderstanding. I love YOU Matt Casey! I don’t want anyone else besides you. Do you understand?”

Standing there in the rain, Matt tried to piece together what she had just said. Was what he saw in Fowlerton just a big misunderstanding? He looked down at Sylvie, seeing that her eyes had regained their normal sparkle. For a second, he didn’t know what do next, but Sylvie took care of that.

Grabbing the back of his neck, she pulled his lips down to meet hers. The kiss they shared was everything each of them had been longing for all day. Matt wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her body to his. They didn’t care that they were outside in public, or even standing in the middle of a downpour. The only thing that each of them cared about was that they were together.

When Sylvie broke their kiss, he looked down at her, a shy grin on his face. “You want to go inside and get out of this rain?”

Brett looked back at him, slowly shaking her head, right before she kissed him again. 

____________

5 minutes later, and one car horn blown their way, Matt and Sylvie walked into their house hand in hand. They were soaking wet, but neither of them cared as the water pooled beneath them. Matt put his hands on each of Sylvie’s cheeks. “I am sorry too Sylvie. I should have trusted you today, and I didn’t. It was just…when I saw you smiling when you were hugging Kyle, I kind of lost it. I haven’t seen that smile in weeks. It made me jealous that he could give it to you and I couldn’t.”

Bringing her hands up, she let hers rest on the top of his. “You promised me once that I never had to worry about you cheating on me, and you need to know that I would never do that to you either. I just missed you, so much lately. It seems like all you have done is work, and I just miss the time we used to spend together.”

Matt leaned down and kissed her again, a soft gentle kiss, where his eyes never closed, but instead stayed on hers. “I know. I just wanted to get the house renovated for you as fast as I could. I want this house to be everything you want it to be, just as soon as I can get it there.”

“But baby, I don’t care about that. Would I like the house to be completely renovated? Of course, I would. But I would choose you over this house any day, you need to understand that.”

Standing on her toes, she kissed him again, a soft kiss that quickly turned heated. He bent down, meeting the passion in her kiss, letting his hands wonder across her wet shirt that was matted to her body. When they broke, she had nothing but desire in her eyes.

“And I missed this too, Matt.”

His smile growing, he looked up and down her body. “Me too. Why don’t you let me make up for a little lost time?”

“I couldn’t think of anything better, baby.”

_______________

Two hours later, Sylvie cried out in ecstasy. She had lost count of how many times Matt had made her cum. He had already orgasmed twice, but somehow, he was still hard. Pulling his face to hers, she ran her hand across the water on his back that had long ago turned to sweat. “Baby, I need a break. That was amazing, but I am not sure if I am going to be able to walk in the morning because of you. “

Laughing, Matt reluctantly pulled out of her. Grinning, his smile turned into a devilish grin, knowing that he had no intention of ever letting her feel lonely or deprived again. When he kissed his way down her body, she felt the muscles in her stomach clinch as he ran his tongue across it. When she felt his tongue hit her clit, she grabbed ahold of the sheets with her hands.

 _Maybe it’s okay to fight if this is what happens after,_ she wondered, before pushing that idea of her mind. Instead, she just focused on how good Matt was making her feel.

________________


	55. Taking Time to Talk Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sylvie and Matt continue to make up, but let their minds wander to the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 55! We are almost at 12,000 hits, which is just freaking amazing. The way you all read this story, the comments you make, the kudos you send, is just incredible. It makes it much easier to write these chapters knowing that so many of you are waiting for the next chapter to post. This chapter continues the theme from the last one of Matt and Sylvie making up. Hope you enjoy!

After they both fell asleep in each other’s arms, they got up at 9pm starving. Sylvie threw on Matt’s t-shirt, earning her a silly grin from Matt. Grabbing some shorts, Matt threw those on and followed her out to the kitchen, shirtless. Together, they found some items to make some sandwiches, which they ate between sentences. They spent the next 2 hours sharing with the other everything they had felt over the last month. Whether that was being hurt, scared, lonely, or just plain pissed off, they laid all of it in front of the other. By 11pm, they both dragged themselves back to bed, both drained from the emotional and physical tolls of the day.

Laying on her side, Sylvie looked at the man she loved. At the man she knew she would always love, somehow. After Harrison, her love faded for him rather quickly, mostly because of the way he had treated her when they were together. With Kyle, she still cared for him as a person, but no romantic feelings remained for him either. With Matt, on the other hand, she knew she would love him the rest of her life, regardless of what happened to them in the future. It was like he had found a way to burrow into her heart and latch onto it, and she knew that her feelings for him would never leave her.

Out of all the things that they had talked about, Sylvie had steered clear of one subject. Deciding to bring it up now, she reached over and placed her hand on his chest, seeing his eyes move up to catch hers.

“Baby, what did my parents say when you went to see them?” 

A grin formed on Matt’s face. “What are you talking about Sylvie? I didn’t go see your parents today.”

_______________

The confusion he saw cross her face made him laugh, even though he was trying to keep a straight face. When she heard his laughter, her hand lightly punched his chest. “Matthew Casey, don’t you do that to me!” She groaned sarcastically. “Tell me what my Mom and Dad said.”

Matt looked at Sylvie. He hadn’t realized until they started talking over sandwiches how close he had come to losing her, and he promised himself to never let that happen again. He had known he had wanted to marry her before things had gotten strained between them, and he wanted to have her as his wife even more now. The talk they had just had was exactly what he had never had with Gabby, or even Hallie for that matter. Two people willing to let the other person see their vulnerability was new for him, but he already was keenly aware it was what he wanted for the rest of his life.

“Sylvie, let me just say this. I will not, under any form of duress, tell you about our conversation. You will just have to wait and learn about that when the time is right.”

Trying her best to act, she gave him her best expression of anger, only to see it fall away when she laughed. Instead, she decided to take another tack. “So, you said under ANY duress, right?”

Smiling, she let her hand travel down his chest, coming to rest on the front of his shorts. She could feel him begin to harden as she played with him. “Are you sure I can’t find a way to force you to tell me Matt?”

He shook his head, but even he knew it was a half-hearted attempt to deny her the information. When she pulled his shorts down with her hands, he knew he was about to face a last stand in an attempt to keep the news private. When her mouth enveloped him, he just laughed. A laugh that turned very quickly into a moan.

“Holy shit Sylvie. Ask me whatever you want…just don’t stop.”

______________

Sylvie woke the next morning, amazed at how differently she felt versus 24 hours ago. She raised her head off Matt’s chest, seeing him still soundly asleep. Laying her head gently back down on his chest, she smiled, remembering last night. He had been powerless against her, and she knew it the minute she had him in her hands. After that, everything that happened, under the guise of gaining information, was done just to thank him for driving to see her parents. He had never admitted to ACTUALLY asking their permission to propose to her, but the subtext was obvious. Her father had made a point of mentioning to her more times than she could count that neither Harrison, nor Kyle, had sought out their approval prior to asking her to marry them. To know that Matt drove down and back up in the same day, instead of doing it when they were there visiting last time, only deepened her appreciation for the man he was.

The idea of waking him up to make love again was starting to enter her mind, but she honestly knew she couldn’t. Sylvie couldn’t remember the last time she had been this sore, and she knew this soreness wasn’t going away any time soon. Instead, she just turned her head so that she could watch the man that she loved, with every piece of her heart, sleep.

Matt could feel himself waking up, but he desperately wanted to stay asleep. He was in the middle of a dream that he didn’t want to leave. He and Sylvie were married, living in their finished house. They already had one young girl, and Sylvie was pregnant with a son. It was everything he had ever wanted, and he could sense nothing but unadulterated joy. He had just picked his son up, ready to tell Sylvie something important, when he woke up.

It took him a second to get his bearings. When he did, he looked down at Sylvie, her beautiful face looking back up at him. She could see a lost look in his eyes.

“Morning babe. You okay?”

Letting his hand run down the skin of her back, Matt just smiled. “Yeah. I was just having an amazing dream about you.”

Sylvie laughed, taking his other hand in his. “Did it have anything to do with the amazing sex we had last night?”

Hearing that, Matt’s smile grew. “Last night definitely was amazing, but no, my dream was about you being pregnant.”

Matt told her everything he could remember about his dream, with Sylvie squeezing his hand when she mentioned the word kids. Scrambling up, she straddled him, looking down at him seriously. “Matt, I know you said you want kids too. But I need you to know that I don’t want to wait that long to start. I don’t want to be 40 when I have my first child. I want us to be both be young enough to enjoy them, and more importantly, have the energy to keep up with them.”

Looking at her naked body on top of his, he could fee his body stirring. “Sylvie, just so you know, the way you look right now, I think I can be ready to start trying in about 30 seconds.”

Forgetting she was naked, she hopped off of him. “Down boy. You gave me a good enough workout last night that I need a little time to recover. But, I really do want to talk about this some more.”

Getting off the bed, she immediately felt the soreness of her muscles. Gingerly, she walked over to the bureau and got out some panties, sleep shorts, and a t-shirt. Putting them on, she looked back at Matt, noticing how his eyes were taking him in. Quickly trying to change the subject, she gave him her best smile.

“You, go get a shower. When you are done, we will have breakfast and talk.”

_______________


	56. What Morning Light Shall Bring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After having made up, Matt and Sylvie have a conversation about children.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 56! I hope you all enjoyed our little interlude into Casey and Brett's relationship troubles, but as you saw in the last chapter, everything is good again. As always, I appreciate all of your comments and kudos. It makes me feel good knowing that the time I spend writing this story is appreciated by many of you. Hope you enjoy!

After Matt’s shower, he joined Sylvie in their kitchen. Even after a month, the term “their” still made him smile. Part of him hoped that feeling would never go away. She had just got done toasting bagels for them, with eggs and sausage on the plates too. Sitting down, he couldn’t help but look at her.

He figured he had always assumed, but now, for some reason, he just knew it to be a fact. Sylvie was going to be a great mother. He was only 5 months shy of his 40th birthday, so their conversation about what was next was definitely timely.

She chewed on her bagel, her nervous energy coming out in the way her eyes looked around the room. When they finally landed on him, the smile he gave her melted away any anxiety she felt. “Babe, I know that for some reason, we keep doing everything out of order. We fell in love before we started dating. We slept together before we had sex. And now, we bought a house before we got married. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t want to change a thing, but in the spirit of that, I do want us to seriously talk about us having kids as soon as you are ready.”

Matt let his hand drift over her leg, coming to rest on her knee. His eyes never leaving hers, she heard him respond.

“I am ready now. Let’s talk.”

Not able to control her happiness, she left her chair and hugged him tightly. She could feel him still holding onto her when she tried to sit back down, so she stood there, content to stay in his arms as long as he would have her. After a few moments, he finally loosened his grip on her.

“Matt, I love you so much. I can’t think of anything better than growing old with you, except for maybe having some kids running around this house too.” She paused, placing her hand on his cheek. “After watching how you were with Terrance and Taylor, I just know you are going to be an amazing Dad.”

She let her hand linger, trying to emphasize her point. She knew Matt carried a lot of hidden baggage about his father, but she needed him to understand that she KNEW, beyond a shadow of a doubt, he was not going to be like his father. Matt smiled back at her, appreciative of her support.

“You know, Sylvie, I was thinking about this when we were at your parent’s house. Both of us spent time in foster care. Maybe we should consider adopting? Why not try to give some little boy or girl the same kind of life your parents gave you?”

Sylvie sat there in disbelief, feeling her heart swell as she fell more in love with Matt, not comprehending how that was even possible. Standing up, she forced her lips against his, finding his tongue ready to meet hers. After a few minutes of kissing, she felt her need for him growing again. 

“Forget being sore. I need you to make love to me. Right now.”

Recognizing after the confusion of the last day that he should always listen to Sylvie, he did exactly what she asked.

30 minutes later, as that both lay panting on the floor of kitchen, their bodies atop their strewn clothes, Sylvie couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh well, I guess we have christened two rooms now.”

_______________

Matt got up, not bothering to get dressed again. He took their plates and put them in the microwave to reheat them. Seeing that Sylvie was still on the floor, he offered his hands to help her up. 

“Babe, you need to put on some clothes or I am going to be tempted to fuck you again.” She laughed. “Get dressed, okay?”

Bending over, Matt picked up his shorts, but not before feeling Sylvie gently slap his butt. He turned back to look at her, surprised at her actions.

“That was for being so irresistible. What happened earlier was for bringing up adoption.” She grinned.

After they were both dressed, they finished their meal before they picked up their conversation. “Matt, I would love to adopt some little boy or girl, to save them from what we had to go through. I just wasn’t sure if you would want to, especially after what happened with Louie.”

She could detect a hint of sadness in his eyes. “Don’t get me wrong Sylvie. I still miss Louie all the time. Just seeing you with your parents, though, I know how much your life changed for the better because they stepped up and adopted you. I am not saying I don’t want to have a baby of our own, I just think it’s something we should look into.”

As Sylvie sat there, twirling the last bit of sausage on her fork, she thought about adopting a child. Giving some little boy or girl the chance at a better life, something her parents had done for her. Looking back over at Matt, as he stuffed the last bite of bagel in his mouth, she wondered what would have changed in Matt’s life if someone had adopted him when he got put in the system.

Eating the last of her sausage, she thought of another question. “Babe, how many kids would you like to have?”

Matt turned to face her after her question. “I don’t know exactly. I would think two or three, but I think we will know what feels right as we get into it. One thing I don’t want to do is foster. I hope you agree, but I want a child to be all ours before we bring them in our home.”

Nodding, Sylvie could understand his logic. She leaned over and kissed his forehead. “So, would you rather look to adopt first, or try for a baby of our own?” Hearing the question come out of her mouth, she leaned back, shaking her head. Less than three months ago she wasn’t even DATING Matt, and here they were already talking about kids. At that times, thinking about that both amused her and scared her, especially considering how the last two to three weeks had gone.

“Well, I think it will be easier to adopt when we are married, so I say we work on option number two first.”

Sylvie couldn’t help herself, she just had to ask him the one question she had wanted to know since yesterday. “And exactly when do you see us getting married?”

Matt laughed out loud, knowing he had walked right into that question. Grinning from ear to ear, he turned back to face her. “As soon as you will let me.”

After breakfast, Sylvie went in the bathroom to take a shower. Just like she always did in the morning, she reached for her birth control container. When she got it out of the drawer, she held it in her hand for a second, contemplating their discussion. Knowing that he wanted the same thing she did, she put it back in the drawer, unopened. _Why don’t we start trying for a baby tonight?_

__________________

After her shower, Sylvie came back out in the kitchen to see Matt working. For some reason, she knew she would have expected he wouldn’t have been able to sit still all day and do nothing. She moved over to where he was, gently kissing him. 

“New rule Matt Casey. You only work on our house or other people’s homes until 6pm. After that, you are mine. Okay?”

Matt let his lips meet hers again. “I think I can live with that. Do you want to go to Molly’s tonight? I know we can’t go too late because of shift tomorrow, but I thought we could at least make an appearance.”

Sylvie was about to answer when she remembered that she asked for furlough for tomorrow’s shift. Holding up her finger, she grabbed her phone and called Bodden.

“Chief, this is Brett. Have you got a replacement for me for tomorrow?”

When the Chief replied he hadn’t, she told him that she would, in fact, be there. She just had a hunch, but she assumed that she might be needing some extra days off soon, especially if Matt Casey proposed to her.

________________


	57. Taking a Better Approach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Sylvie settle into a better routine. But can a visit from and old and new acquaintance stir up problems?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 57! This is a little bit of a transition chapter, but it sets the stage for some things that will happen later. We are about to hit 12,400 comments, so I just wanted to thank all of you personally for taking time to follow along with this fanfic. You support of my Brett and Casey story blows me away. Hope you enjoy!

That night after dinner, around 7pm, Matt held open the door to Molly’s for Sylvie to enter. They knew they weren’t going to stay long, but both of them wanted anyone from 51 who was there to see that things between them were better. As Matt closed the door behind him, he took her hand and walked to the bar.

“Captain, Brett. Good to see you guys tonight.” Hermann said excitedly. 

Glancing over at Matt, Sylvie couldn’t hide her smile. “Good to be seen Hermann. Can I have a glass of my good stuff tonight?”

Hermann reached beneath the bar for the bottle of Brett’s Rose’, something they had started keeping just for her when she started coming in. “Captain, what can I get you?”

“Just a beer, Hermann. Thanks.”

When both of them had their drinks in their hands, they turned to head to a table when Severide, Capp, and Ritter were sitting. Right as they were about to sit down, Sylvie caught a glimpse of another paramedic out of the corner of her eye.

Ashton Roberts. 

Sylvie turned, seeing Roberts coming on VERY strong to Adam Ruzek from Intelligence. Chuckling to herself, she sat down in the seat Matt was holding out for her.

_Adam doesn’t stand a chance,_ she thought.

_______________________

They had been there for about 20 minutes when Sylvie excused herself to go to the restroom. Catching Severide’s attention, he directed him to a corner of the bar.

“Hey, I just wanted to thank you again for yesterday. Luckily, we got everything worked out.”

Taking a swig from his beer, Kelly took in his friend. A friend who was MUCH happier than yesterday. “Anytime. I enjoyed meeting Brett’s parents. After meeting them and seeing the farm, it helped me understand why she is always the happy, optimistic person she is.”

Nodding, Casey had gotten the same impression from his first day at the Brett’s. “I am going to need you to bring the ring with you to shift tomorrow. I think that, as of tomorrow, I am going to keep it with me. You never know when the time will be right.”

Toasting to each other, Severide turned to look at Stella behind the bar. _Matt’s right. You never know what time will be right._

__________________

When Sylvie came out of the bathroom, she could see Matt talking to Severide. Not wanting to disturb them, she headed past them to see Stella. Kidd, who looked like was in the middle of a debate with Hermann about the correct way to pour a drink. Just as she got to the bar, she felt like someone was behind her. When she turned, she saw Roberts standing there.

“Hey Roberts. Didn’t know you came to Molly’s”

Roberts looked at Sylvie with a smug look on her face. “You know Brett, no one told me about this place the shift I worked at 51. But I did hear that you and the Captain are having problems. I am really sorry to hear that.”

Brett could have cut Robert’s sarcasm with a knife. Deciding not to play her game, she simply turned to Stella. “Kidd, why don’t you buy Roberts a drink on me?” _Hopefully it will be the last drink she ever has here._

Surprised, Stella pulled out a shot glass and poured Roberts a shot. The tall blonde downed it in one gulp. “Appreciate that Brett. I am going to see if I can’t find someone who can give me a lift home, if you catch my drift. Preferably someone with a muscular chest.”

Shaking her head, Brett knew that comment was related to how Ashton helped Matt when he broke his rib. The image of her hand running over Matt’s bare skin caused her blood to begin to boil. Sylvie watched as Roberts slowly walked past Casey and Severide, her eyes never leaving Matt until she passed by him. Turning to Stella, she could see her friend’s resentment over the floater.

“Brett, I swear if you need me to, I will kick that blonde bimbo’s ass. You just give me the okay.”

Sylvie laughed before patting her friend’s hand. “No need Kidd. I trust Matt.” It was true, she did trust him. But trusting Ashton Roberts was another thing entirely.

Just as she said that, Matt walked over to her. “You ready to head home?”

Hearing the word home, Sylvie leaned up and gently kissed him. “With you? Always.”

______________

Over the next week, Matt and Sylvie developed a better routine. Now that they had talked things out, their time together at shift was easy, except for when Casey had a dangerous call. Sylvie always felt like she was holding her breath until she saw him come out unharmed. By the same token, she knew he worried about her when she and Violet went on solo calls. They both hoped that fear would get better with time, but neither were thinking it would.

Off shift, Matt had kept his promise to Sylvie. Every night at home, he stopped renovations promptly at 6pm. When he was working his construction jobs, he wouldn’t even accept a job if there was a chance he would be coming home late to her. She knew keeping her promise was a bit of a sacrifice for him, but he had told her many times that he was happy to do it if it kept them strong as a couple.

______________

By the next week, Matt was almost through renovating the kitchen. Sylvie had already picked out brand new appliances, which he would be installing in the next day or two. As she watched him work one day, a thought hit her.

“Babe, why don’t we invite Christie and Violet over for dinner when the kitchen is finished?”

Getting up off his knees, Matt wiped the sawdust off his shirt as he stood up. “I think that is a great idea, Sylvie. You want to do it this weekend?”

“Definitely. Why don’t you let me call Christie and ask her?”

Pointing to his phone, Matt bent back down to continue working. Sylvie grabbed Matt’s phone and headed into their bedroom. She wasn’t sure Matt knew that she had called his sister, but she wanted a chance to make a better impression. Dialing her number, Christie picked up on the third ring.

“Matt?”

“Christie, this is Sylvie Brett. How are you doing?”

“I am fine Sylvie. What can I do for you?”

For a second, Brett thought Christie sounded perturbed that she had called her and not Matt. She hoped it was because she was at work, but there was just something about the tone of her voice that caused Sylvie to wonder.

“Matt and I wanted to invite you and Violet over for dinner at our house this Saturday. We would love for you to see the house, and I would really like to meet you in person.”

There was silence on the other end of the line for about 10 seconds before Christie spoke again. “I will have to check and see when I get home tonight. Just tell Matt I will call him and let him know.”

Before Sylvie could say anything else, the line went dead. For a moment, Sylvie just looked at Matt’s phone, not sure what had just happened. She didn’t know what she had done, but it didn’t seem like Matt’s sister liked her for some reason.

_________________


	58. Awkward Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt hears back from Christie, while Sylvie starts to gleam the true feelings of Matt's sister.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 58! This is another short transition chapter before the next big arc takes place. I appreciate all of you commenting on this story, both good and bad, as it gives me instant feedback to what you are thinking. Typically, I am about 1/2 a chapter ahead of you when you comment, so I can sense some of you knowing where the story is going, while some of you are still surprised by the different twists and turns. Hope you enjoy!

The next day at shift, Severide walked over to Casey’s quarters after roll call. In his hand, he had the small, velvet covered box containing Sylvie’s engagement and wedding band. Knowing that Severide had seen them while they were in Fowlerton, he took the box from Kelly with a question.

“Do you think Sylvie will like them?”

“Of course she will, Case. You put a lot of thought into those rings, so she would be a fool not to love them. As a matter of fact, after I saw yours, I decided I need to propose to Sylvie pretty quickly, or else she is going to expect something like Sylvie’s rings from me.”

Not attempting to hide his laughter, Matt turned thoughtful. “Did you ever imagine, Severide, that we would both have two amazing women in our lives that we want to marry. It doesn’t seem like that long ago you were bringing a different girl home every night.”

Kelly chuckled at the recollection. He HAD been a little wild when he was young, but he would take what he had with Stella over that lifestyle any day. Before he had a chance to reply, Matt continued.

“But just remember that I warned you. If you are going to ask Stella first you need to do it. Otherwise, you might find that I have already asked Sylvie.”

Waving him off, Severide returned to his quarters. How to propose to Stella had actually been the only thing he had could think of for the last 12 hours, and he imagined it would occupy his thoughts the rest of the day.

_______________

Around dinner time, Brett went back to check on Casey. He hadn’t come out when dinner was announced, so she wanted to make sure he got something to eat. When she was about five feet away from his quarters, she could hear Matt talking on the phone.

“I don’t know where this is coming from Christie, I really don’t. Violet liked Sylvie when she met her.”

Brett stood there, dumbfounded, realizing that her worries about the phone call with Christie had not been without merit. She wished she could hear what Christie was saying, but she could only hear Matt’s side of the conversation.

After a pause, she could hear Matt speak again. “Christie, you need to listen. If you want to come meet Sylvie, great. If you don’t, then I am not going to force you to, but you need to get on board with the idea that I am going to marry her, because nothing you say is going to change my mind.”

Feeling warmth spread through her body, Sylvie listened as Matt stood up for them. She wanted Christie to like her, yes, but in the end all that mattered was her and Matt being happy together.

“Okay Christie, just let me know.” With that final sentence, she could hear Matt’s phone hit his cot. She had just turned around to head back to the bullpen when Casey came out of his quarters.

“Hey sweetheart. Sorry, I was just getting ready to come to dinner.”

Sylvie turned towards him, knowing her face couldn’t hide the mixture of hurt and pride she felt, somehow having both of those feelings at the same time. As soon as Matt saw her face, he hung his head.

“I take it that you heard my phone call?” He asked her, more for confirmation than anything.

Nodding her head, he reached for her hand, pulling her back into his quarters. “I am sorry Sylvie. I don’t know what has gotten into Christie. A few weeks ago she, wanted to meet you. Now all of the sudden, she is worried that I am making a mistake with you.”

She let her arms reach out, pulling him to here. “I am sorry Matt. Sure, I want her to like me. More than that, I really do appreciate you sticking up for us. It made me feel so special knowing that you let her know what we want.”

Leaning down, Matt kissed Sylvie softly. A kiss that Sylvie liked, but needed more of. Pulling him closer, she let her tongue swipe across his lips, feeling him open them to allow her tongue to meet hers. After many heated seconds, he broke away, smiling.

“I swear Sylvie, if you don’t stop kissing me like that at work, I am going to have to close my doors and take you right here.”

Grinning, Sylvie batted her eyelashes at him. “Would taking me here be THAT bad.”

For a second, Matt thought about calling her bluff. Instead, he grabbed her hand and they headed to dinner.

_______________

For the rest of the shift, Matt couldn’t help feeling Sylvie’s rings in the front pocket of his pants. He knew he couldn’t hide the box in his pants, but the rings he could. He was serious when he told Severide that he would propose when the time was right. He just wanted to have the rings ready when that time came.

As he and Sylvie left shift to head to his truck, he felt his phone vibrate in his back pocket. Letting go of her hand, he reached back and pulled his phone out, reading the text message that had come through.

“Well Sylvie, at least Violet wants to have dinner with us.”

Turning to face him, Sylvie let out a gentle sigh. “Oh well, I guess I will take what I can get.”

The next night, Sylvie was cooking dinner while Matt worked to clean up all of his construction equipment. Their kitchen had turned out better than she dreamed possible, and now, she could truly brag on how good a contractor Matt was to everyone. She had even been able to convince him to take before and after pictures of different parts of the house, in case he wanted to use them for his business later.

As she stirred the homemade spaghetti sauce, she contemplated the situation with Christie. Maybe tonight, she could try to gleam from Violet what her mother’s problem with her was. She knew though, that to do that, she would have to get Matt out of the room.

________________

When Violet knocked on the front door, Matt let his niece in, but not before giving her a big hug. As the younger girl walked into the house, Sylvie turned around to face her.

“Hey Violet! I am so glad you could come have dinner with us and see the house.”

Somewhat surprising her, Violet came over and gave Sylvie a hug too. A hug that Brett reciprocated warmly. With greetings out of the way, Matt took over the cooking at Sylvie’s request, allowing her to show Violet the rest of the house.

When they were upstairs looking at the guest bedroom, Sylvie took the opportunity to ask Violet about Christie. “I hate your Mom couldn’t come tonight. I was looking forward to meeting her in person.”

Sylvie’s question immediately made Violet nervous. Brett could see Matt’s niece shifting back and forth on her feet, her eyes focused on the ground. Sylvie was about to change the subject when Violet spoke up.

“It’s nothing against you Sylvie, I promise. Mom just really liked Gabby, that’s all. As a matter of fact, she was really mad at Uncle Matt when he didn’t go to Puerto Rico and try to talk her out of the divorce.”

 _That makes sense,_ Sylvie thought.

“Violet, I was Gabby’s partner for years, and I liked her too. I didn’t want her to leave, but when she did, there really was nothing that your Uncle Matt could do to save the marriage. Gabby has always been…well, head strong. So when she made a decision, if you didn’t like it, it was too bad for you because that was the way it was going to be. “

Nodding in understanding, Violet leaned closer to Sylvie. “I know. I didn’t really like Aunt Gabby that much. She didn’t really want to spend anytime with me when I was growing up, unless it had something to do with scoring brownie points with Uncle Matt. It’s just…I worry.”

Placing her hand on Violet’s shoulder, Sylvie made sure to catch her gaze. “Worry about what sweetie?”

Looking around to make sure Matt wasn’t around, Violet leaned even closer to Sylvie, now almost whispering in her ear. “I am worried that Mom called Gabby and told her about you and Uncle Matt.”

It took a second for Sylvie to wrap her mind around the words that just came out of Violet’s mouth, but when she did, she felt a shutter come over her. She wasn’t worried about Matt. She truly did trust him when he said he wanted to be with her. What worried her was Gabby’s temper. She had seen it too many times in her life already, and she knew that if Gabby wanted to make a scene or make things difficult for someone, she could.

Forcing a smile, she suggested they head back downstairs to eat. As soon as Violet turned towards the stairs, Sylvie closed her eyes. 

_Shit! What will Gabby do once she finds out about me and Matt?_

__________________


	59. Big News at 51

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After dinner with Violet, some big news comes to the family at 51.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 59! Things are starting to pick up with various characters in this story, and you will see that trend continue as we move forward. As always, thanks to all of you who are reading, leaving comments, or even kudos. The fact that you are enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it, means the world to me. Hope you enjoy!

Dinner had turned into a wonderful night, with Sylvie gaining a new appreciation for Violet. Before getting a chance to talk to her, she wondered if she took after her father or mother, but was surprised to see a lot of Matt in her too. That fact shouldn’t have surprised her, because Violet made a point of telling Brett how present her Uncle had been throughout her life, even during the times his relationship with her Mom was strained.

Matt, on the other hand, couldn’t get over Sylvie’s cooking. She had made small things for them before, but this was the first “big” meal she had ever made for him and it blew him away. He had no doubt that if she had chosen to be a Chef, she would have been phenomenal at it. As they walked Violet out to her car, Matt could already feel fall approaching, as the temperature was starting to dip during the night. Once Violet drove off, he took Sylvie’s hand, leading her back in the house.

“Sylvie, dinner was amazing. I can’t believe your sauce was homemade.”

Blushing at his compliment, she was pleased he liked her cooking. Knowing the plans they had for each other, she hoped to be able to cook for him for many more years into the future. As she started to head towards the kitchen to clean up, Matt pulled her back to him, her lips meeting his instantly.

Their kiss was full of passion, and when they came up for air, Matt grinned down at her. “I seem to recall a conversation about “taking” you from yesterday. I believe it is time to revisit that.”

Sylvie laughed, feeling her body react to his words. “I can’t think of a better topic to revisit either, Matt.”

__________

After they made love, Matt watched Sylvie doze off. After she did, he gently got out of the bed, tip toeing to the kitchen to clean up. After all, it was the least he could do since she cooked. As he started washing the pots, he came across the large serving bowl Sylvie had used tonight. He had no idea that it used to be her grandmother’s, something that both surprised him and made him sad. Due to his family situation and condo fire, he had nothing like this that could get passed down from generation to generation. He handled that bowl like it was the most important thing in the world to Sylvie, in part because he knew how much it meant to her. _Maybe one day we can pass this bowl down to our own children._

He had just finished washing the bowl when he heard his phone alert him to a new text. Walking over to the counter, he picked it up, noticing he had two missed texts. The first one was from Violet, thanking him and Sylvie for dinner. She also commented again on how much she liked Sylvie, her comment bringing a smile to his face. Scrolling to the next text, he saw it was from Severide, asking him and Brett to come to Molly’s tomorrow night at 6pm. He responded to both before he walked back into their bedroom. Seeing Sylvie’s nude body as she slept caused him to harden instantly, as his body was getting ready for round two. Seeing how peacefully she was sleeping, tough, he decided that round two could wait until the morning.

_____________

The next morning, Sylvie woke to sensation of Matt’s tongue between her legs. She was only awake for a minute or so when she came, hard enough to cause her leg muscles to spasm. Looking down at him, she could see the pride he took in getting her off so quickly.

“Fuck baby. What a wonderful way to start the day.” She panted.

Matt moved up her body, entering her completely in one stroke. He felt her fingernails scratch down his back, causing him to arch in painful ecstasy. As he began to thrust into her, he saw her eyes matching his desire.

“I wanted to fuck you last night, but you were sleeping so good. Be glad I waited this long.”

As he sped up, she could tell he was close. Right as he came, she burned in her memory the idea of taking him while was asleep. 

After all, she could play the same games as Matt could.

____________

After they had gotten out of bed and taken a shower together, Matt remembered Kelly’s text from last night. “Hey Sylvie, I meant to tell you that after you went to sleep, Severide asked us to meet him and Kidd at Molly’s at 6pm tonight.”

“Sounds good to me.” She replied, while putting lotion on her legs. She glanced over, seeing his eyes taking her in. “Hold your horses, lover. I am not getting as sore as I used to with you, but your size still causes me to need a breather every now and then.”

Grinning, he headed back into their room to get dressed. When he left, she pulled up her phone. Reading through the various texts, she saw a text from Stella, asking her and Matt to come to Molly’s at 6pm too. 

_I wonder why they both texted us,_ she wondered.

____________

That night, Matt and Sylvie got to Molly’s around 5:55pm. Surprisingly, most of 51 were there too, including their spouses. Matt and Sylvie walked over to Bodden and Donna, exchanging pleasantries, when Matt asked the other couple a question.

“Did you get a text from Severide too?”

The Chief shook his head. “No, I got one from Kidd.”

Right when they started comparing notes, Severide came out from the back room. Whistling loudly, everyone’s attention turned to him. 

“Everyone, we just want to thank you all for coming on short notice. All of you are here because you are our family, and we couldn’t think of sharing this with anyone else before you.”

Sylvie turned to look at Matt “We? Where is Kidd?”

At that moment, Stella came out from the back room, taking her place beside Kelly. At that moment, she held up her left hand, showing everyone the engagement ring. “We are getting married!” she screamed.

Within seconds, there were cheers and congratulations yelled out to them from every direction. Everyone got in line to hug and congratulate the happy couple. When Matt and Sylvie got there, Brett was surprised to see Severide hug Casey. 

“Congratulations you two. You both deserve to be happy.” Matt said over the crowd noise.

Kidd hugged Matt as Sylvie hugged Severide. Just as he let go of her, Kelly whispered in her ear.

“You two are next. I just know it.”

Blushing, Sylvie wrapped Kidd in the biggest and tightest hug she could manage. When they broke, Stella showed Sylvie the ring. 

“I am impressed.” Sylvie said. “Obviously, Severide has very good taste in both jewelry and woman.”

Hugging her best friend again, Stella yelled out in excitement. “I can’t believe he finally asked Brett. I can’t wait to marry Kelly.”

Looking over at Casey smiling at their friends, Sylvie understood Kidd’s emotions exactly.

_I can’t wait to marry Matt either,_ she thought.


	60. Wedding Planning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Kidd and Severide are engaged, the talk of the firehouse moves to wedding planning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 60! This chapter is a little bit of a transition that takes us to our next big arc. We are close to 13,000 hits on this story, so I just want to thank all of you for taking time out of your busy days to ready along with this little fanfic. Big things are on the horizon, so hold on. You might see some chapters starting to be longer so I can find a good breaking point, but things are getting ready to get good.

The next day, all the members of 51 dragged themselves into work. The surprise engagement party had gone deeper into the night than expected, so everyone was dealing from a serious lack of sleep. As they all gathered for roll call, they heard the Chief remind them what they were there to do.

“Look people. I know we are excited for Severide and Kidd, as well as being tired from last night. But the people of Chicago deserve our best today, so that’s what we are going to give them.”

Not more than five minutes after his speech, the entire house was called out to multi vehicle wreck. 

When they got back, everyone was hungry and tired, as the call happened before breakfast. As most everyone found seats in the bullpen, Ritter and Gallo got started with the cooking. Kelly and Matt went to have a smoke on the roof, which left Kidd, Brett, and Violet to start the wedding planning.

“Any idea of what season you want to get married in Kidd?” Violet asked, in an attempt to kick start the conversation.

“No, not really.” Stella replied. “I would think maybe early next fall? That would give us about a year to plan everything. Does that sound about right Brett?”

Sylvie looked at her two friends, quickly understanding that her two previous engagements rendered her the expert at planning weddings. “Why are you looking at me Kidd? You have actually been married once before, which is the step I never actually got to. I just think you do whatever suits you and Severide.”

Violet and Kidd exchanged grins before Violet looked at Brett. “Yeah Sylvie, you never got past the engagement part before, but for some reason I definitely think you are going to get there this time.”

Thinking about Matt, Sylvie smiled. _I definitely hope so._

_____________________

Up on the roof, Severide and Casey were sharing congratulatory cigars. “I am really glad you proposed to Kidd, Severide. Takes some of the pressure off me now when I ask Sylvie.”

Severide leaned back in her lawn chair, exhaling the smoke into the crisp sky. “I just couldn’t wait any longer, Case. Truthfully, I should have asked her a while ago. I think it was you and Brett that kind of lit the fire underneath me. Can’t let you ask her before I asked Kidd, considering we have been together 10 times longer than you two.”

The pair laughed at his observation. All Casey was thinking about was asking Sylvie. _I just need the perfect opportunity,_ he thought.

_________________

Down in the bullpen, Sylvie was shocked to find the conversation about her and Violet’s attempt to help Kidd had somehow turned back on her and Matt.

“Come on Brett. You have got to think that Captain is getting ready to ask you, don’t you?” Stella asked.

Violet hopped in, adding her two cents. “I mean, come on Brett. You two are already living together, and now you are talking about kids. That has to mean he is close, right?”

The news about kids was supposed to be just between Violet and her, so Sylvie immediately prepared for the onslaught from Kidd.

“Kids? You are kidding me Brett! I just got Kelly to propose to me and you and Casey are already talking about kids?”

Not able to hide her happiness, Sylvie moved in closer to her two friends. “That was supposed to be a secret, Violet.” She said, grinning. “But since you both know now, yes we have. I have even stopped taking the pill so if it happens, it happens. Matt also brought up adopting, which just about made me want to cry with joy right then. He actually told me that if might be nice if we could give a little boy or girl a home like my parents did.”

Violet and Stella shared a look, seeing at how happy their friend was. Even more so when she mentioned them talking about adoption.

“And,” Violet added, her voice barely above a whisper. “I have a feeling you jumped him right after he brought up adoption?”

Sylvie couldn’t hide her laugh. “Actually, it might have been during the conversation, but it’s hard to remember.” She said, smiling brightly.

__________________

By the end of shift, any adrenaline that had come from the calls they had during shift were gone. Literally ever member of 51 dragged themselves to their cars, wanting nothing more than to head home and sleep. After Matt opened her door for her, she waited until Matt had started to drive them home until she spoke up.

“Babe, does it bother you that I have been engaged twice before?”

Matt shot her a confused glance. “Not at all Sylvie. Heck, I am divorced, which I think cancels out your engagements. What brought up that subject?”

Sylvie fiddled with her hands in her lap. “It was just something Kidd said yesterday. It’s almost like I should know everything about planning a wedding because I was engaged, and honestly, I have no idea.”

As Matt turned onto another street, he reached for her hand. “Well, neither do I, so I guess we are even. I take it you would want to get married in Fowlerton? I think Kidd and Severide are going to get married here, but they are the type that could also elope and not tell anybody until after do.”

Now it was Sylvie’s turn to look at Matt. _Is he trying to feel me out about what I want in a wedding?_ “I don’t think so babe, not anymore. Really besides Mom and Dad, I am not close with anyone in Fowlerton anymore. I would much rather get married here in town.”

Taking her answer in stride, Matt asked a follow up. “Big or small wedding?”

Her response was immediate. “Small. Just family and 51. I don’t want people coming who don’t mean anything to us.” 

Squeezing her hands, they drove the rest of the way home in silence. Both lost in their own thoughts about what their wedding would look like.

As they got out of the car at their house, Matt felt the two rings in his front pocket, wondering how Sylvie was going to react to them when she saw them.

________________

After a long nap, Matt and Sylvie made love before he got up and started to work on the house again. Seeing his attention now drawn elsewhere, Sylvie got dressed and headed to a spin class. As she was about to pull into a parking space, Sylvie could have sworn she saw Matt’s sister across the street. She couldn’t be sure, as she had only seen a couple of pictures of her on Matt’s phone, but it sure looked like her. The person she was with though, sure looked like the Gabby from behind. It was hard to tell, as that was the only view she had before they ducked into a restaurant, but Sylvie felt her stomach churn at the thought.

Getting out of her car, Sylvie walked into her spin class, praying that Gabby would be happy for her and Matt, but sensing that wasn’t going to happen.

_____________

The next day, as Matt worked on a bathroom remodel for one of his customers, Sylvie met Kidd and Violet over at the loft. It seemed like wedding planning was in full swing, even with Severide and Kidd not bothering to talk about what they each wanted.

Focusing her attention more on the rose’ than the planning, Brett hoped that Matt was being honest with her when he said her past engagements didn’t matter. She felt like they were so close to getting what they both wanted, she could feel her nervousness start to grow at anything that could come between them, including Christie and Gabby.

For once, she couldn’t wait to get back on shift for some reason. She didn’t know why, but she felt like they safety of the firehouse was exactly what she was going to need for the next 24 hours.

_____________


	61. Bad Vibes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sylvie has a bad feeling come over her. Will her instinct prove to be right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 61! I hope you all are enjoying reading this story as much as I am writing it. This chapter starts a new arc that will carry on over the next, however many chapters it takes. I have actually already completed Chapter 62 as well, so if you all like where this chapter is heading, I might post it early for you today. Hope you enjoy!

Sylvie drove them to the station the next morning, explaining to Matt that she just wanted to drive for once. On the way there, he could sense a nervous energy coming off of her.

“Everything okay Syl? You look like you are nervous for some reason.”

Glancing over, she tried to force a smile. “I don’t know why Babe, but something just feels off.”

Instantly worried, Matt tried to think if he had done something again to cause her to have these feelings. When she saw he was lost in thought, she tried to reassure him. 

“Nothing you have done Matt. It’s just something else…I just can’t put my finger on it.”

Reaching over, Matt let his hand come to rest on her knee. He squeezed it once. “Okay, just know that I am here for you if you need me.”

_______________

It had been a pretty typical day by 2pm. Ambulance 61 had already been out on 3 calls, while truck and squad had joined them for a 4th. Everyone was back at 51 trying to eat lunch while they had a chance.

“You good Brett? You just don’t seem like you are exactly all here today.” Violet asked her partner as they wolfed down spaghetti.

Sylvie turned towards her partner, not bothering to try to smile. “I don’t know Violet. I just have a bad vibe for some reason. I felt it yesterday too. I just wish we could all stay here at 51 today and not have any more calls. I just feel…”

Right then, they heard the alarm go off. _TRUCK 81, SQUAD 3, AMBULANCE 61. MULTI CAR COLLISION ON MILE MARKER 43, KENNEDY EXPRESSWAY._

Leaving their plates where they were, everyone ran to their vehicles as fast as they could. With Violet driving, Sylvie sat in the passenger’s seat, saying a quick prayer. There was just something about this day, and now this call, that had her playing nervously with her watch. _I just have a bad feeling about this,_ Sylvie thought.

______________

When they got to the scene, Bodden jumped out of his buggy, taking in the scene in front of him. There must have been 5 or 6 vehicles and two tractor trailers involved, and all he could hear was the screams of the injured. He turned to look at Casey and Severide as they approached him, his facing saying what his other commanding officers already knew. This call was going to be bad.

Barking orders, Severide took his men towards the damaged cars on the front left, while Casey had his people start in the back right and work their way forward. Before he turned to follow his people, Matt caught Sylvie’s eyes looking at him, her expression having passed worry and gone straight to scared. He quickly smiled at her, not finding hers in return. With a quick pull of his hat lower on his head, he headed to take stock of the situation.

Sylvie was already beside herself. She still didn’t understand why she was feeling like she was, but she had to resist the temptation to run and stop Matt from doing his job. She had obviously been scared at times with him before, but she had never felt the urge to do that, ever. Turning to look at Violet, her partner could see how tense Brett was.

“Brett, pull it together. Casey is going to be fine. We have a job to do.”

Brett nodded once, momentarily proud of her partner for taking the lead on this one, and followed her to the back of the ambo to gather supplies.

__________________

As Severide got to the first car, he wondered how this wreck even happened. There was mangled steel and bodies everywhere he looked. Reaching in, he felt for a pulse on the passenger of the first car. Letting his head fall for a second, his fingers felt nothing.

Standing up, he quickly shook his head back to Brett and Violet. Cruz ran to the driver’s door, opened it, and repeated the same procedure Kelly had, unfortunately with the same result. As he turned to follow Severide to the next car, he muttered under his breath. “Shit.”

In the back of the accident scene, Kidd and Ritter found their victims alive. Calling over for the paramedics, they heard Chief key his radio, asking for more ambulances to be dispatched to the scene.

Brett let Violet take the lead, as she diagnosed and instructed Brett what to do. When she stood up from placing a C collar on the neck of the driver, she saw Matt throw a concerned look at her. Avoiding his gaze, she turned towards Violet to assist her in getting the man out of the car.

Within 5 minutes, Squad and Truck had worked their way through all of the vehicles, finding the majority of the occupants alive. Casey was about to order Gallo and Hermann to watch the gasoline tanker he was near, when he heard Hermann scream.

“It’s sparking!”

Matt turned and ran as fast as he could towards his vehicle, seeing everyone else running in different directions too. Sylvie stood up at Hermann’s words, immediately looking for Casey. When she saw him running away from the vehicle, she felt her legs give out, leaving her body to sag to the ground. 

_Please God let him be okay,_ she prayed without thinking.

A second later, the force of the tanker exploding knocked almost everyone down to the ground. As soon as she hit the pavement, Brett was back up, looking for Matt, hearing nothing but the sound of fire. When she saw him stand back up too, seemingly unharmed, she let out a sigh of relief, feeling herself choke up from her worry. 

Hermann and Gallo opened their lines, sending water rushing towards the flames. She kept looking at Matt, trying to get his attention, but for some reason he was looking away from her and towards the cars in the front of the accident. The exact ones nearest the flames. 

Violet had just gotten back up to help her patient when she heard Sylvie scream.

“MMAAAATTTT!”

__________________

Violet immediately turned, not understanding why Casey was running towards the flames. She turned to Brett, grabbing her superior by the arm.

“Brett, focus on this patient.”

Not turning, Sylvie was focused on Matt, as he was picking up speed as he ran towards the first car. Severide also saw this, and scrambled off the ground to try to stop his friend. Cruz, seeing both Severide and Casey running, got up as well, not understanding why, but instinctively knowing that it must be important.

As Casey neared the car, the heat from the flames caused him to hit the ground and start crawling. Severide, who was now 10 feet away, called out to his friend.

“Casey, we already checked those cars.”

Not listening, Matt continued to crawl towards the side of the passenger car farthest from the fire. Severide matched Casey’s movements, but not before instructing Cruz to stand down.

“Severide, you stand down too.” Matt yelled behind him, knowing that his orders would unfortunately piss off his friend.

Matt was almost to the back door of the car. He could already see the paint bubbling from the heat on the other side of the car, indicating to him he didn’t have much time. When he got to the back door, he thought about standing up to inspect the back seat, but knew that the heat would be too much. Instead, he used his Halligan to reach up through the shattered window, pulling it back towards him with all the strength he could muster.

_____________

By now, both Violet and Kidd were practically having to restrain Brett, her concern about her patient long forgotten. Knowing Sylvie wasn’t paying them any attention, Violet looked behind Brett’s back at Kidd.

“What is Captain doing?” she asked.

Kidd simply shrugged her shoulders, worried about this turn of events herself.

Just then, Bodden came on the radio.

“Casey, fall back.”

Not responding, Casey pulled again on the door, feeling it almost give. He gave it one more pull, before giving up.

“Damn it.” He yelled.

Reaching up, he grabbed the door handle, feeling the warmth of it come through his gloves. As soon as he pulled it towards him, it gave, allowing him to see into the back seat. There, on the floor, curled into a ball, was the source of the scream that had made him run towards the fire.

______________


	62. Rescues, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Casey is on the floor board of a car, a car that is much too close to the fire. Can he and the victim get out safely?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 62! This continues the arc that started in the last chapter. I appreciate all of your comments and kudos, and hope you will like where this story is headed. Hope you enjoy!

For a second, Casey had to let his eyes adjust to what he was seeing.

“It’s okay sweetie. Crawl over here to me.”

The small child had a blanket wrapped around her head, her body shaking in fear. Knowing he didn’t have much time, Matt got to his knees, trying to keep his head as low as possible, and reached in to the vehicle for the young girl.

“Casey, fall back. That’s an order.” Bodden yelled into his radio, the tension in his voice unmistakable.

Matt could barely feel the fabric of the blanket with his gloves, but he still wasn’t close enough to grab her. As soon as he saw the flames light the door panel across from him, he forgot all of his training and threw himself in the car, covering her. 

“It’s okay, I’m here. You are going to be okay.” Matt said as calmly as he could, his brain not agreeing with his heart’s assessment. All of the sudden, Casey felt someone grab his boots, pulling him back out of the car. Wrapping his arms around the child as best as he could, he shimmied his body back to help with the extraction. 

As soon as Severide pulled them both out of the car, Cruz and Capp hit the vehicle with extinguishers. With the girl wrapped in one arm, Matt crawled back towards safety with Severide behind him. As soon as they were clear of the heat, Matt stood up and ran the girl to 61.

_______________

Casey had just jumped into the back of the ambulance when Sylvie followed him in. Throwing her arms around his neck, she held onto him with all of her strength, not realizing that he was holding anything. 

“Matt, don’t ever scare me like that again.” She said, louder than she intended.

When she felt something move against her side, she sat back, only then seeing the child in her arms. She looked up at him, for a second not realizing what was going on. When her brain finally caught up with her emotions, she reached to take the girl from him.

Surprisingly, the young child was alert enough to hold on tighter to Casey, her little hands balling up any piece of loose fabric she could hold onto.

“It’s okay pumpkin. My name is Sylvie. Do you mind if I check and see if you are hurt?”

Sylvie followed the young girl’s eyes up to Matt’s, as if the child was making sure it was okay before she let go of the firefighter. Matt looked down at the child, then gently coaxed her.

“It’s okay sweetie. Sylvie is a good friend of mine. You can trust her.”

Brett saw his words register in the young child’s eyes, and then saw her little hands reach out for her. Brett took the young girl in her arms, and completely against policy, hugged her before she checked her out.

“I am so glad you are safe pumpkin. Why don’t we lie you down so I can check you out?”

Seeing the youngster accept Brett’s suggestion, Matt turned to head back to the fire, stopping only when the young girl cried out at the sight of his leaving. Matt turned around, worry etched on his face, afraid something had happened to the child. He then felt a hand clasp his shoulder. Looking behind him, he saw it was the Chief.

“I’m sorry Chief. I heard her scream right after the explosion. I had to..”

Bodden cut him off, his other hand grabbing Casey’s other shoulders. “Casey, I think Brett was right on this one. Just don’t ever scare us like that again.”

Glancing over her shoulder, Sylvie looked at the Chief, surprised. _How did he know what I said to Matt?_

With a quick wink, Bodden turned and left Sylvie and Matt alone with the young girl.

________________

A few moments later, Violet joined Brett in the back of the now cramped ambulance. Brett turned towards her partner.  
  
“I don’t see any injuries, but she might have a little smoke inhalation. I say we take her to Med just to be safe.”

Violet jumped out of the ambulance, but before she shut the doors, she called out to Brett. “Nice to have you back boss.”

With the doors closed, Sylvie reached out for Matt’s hand. “Babe, I had no idea what you were doing.”

Still holding Sylvie’s hand, Matt got down on his knees on the floor of the vehicle, moving closer to the young girl. “I don’t why I was the only one who heard you scream, little one, but I am glad I did. We are ALL going to the hospital to get you checked out.”

They were about to pull into Med when the little girl uttered her first words. “Are my Mommy and Daddy okay?”

Matt looked up at Sylvie, seeing her eyes well up with tears. Choking back his own, Matt ran his hand through the child’s hair. “I am not sure sweetie. We will check on that for you and let you know, okay?”

When the doors to 61 opened, Dr. Halstead was surprised to see Matt carrying a young girl out of the vehicle himself, with Brett right behind them.

_______________

Will directed them to an exam room, where Matt sat the child on the bed. Sylvie immediately moved to the other side, taking hold of the girl’s other hand that Matt wasn’t holding.

Halstead chuckled seeing his friends. “Uh guys, you sure you don’t want to hang back in the waiting room?”

Matt was about to say something when Will saw the child’s grip of both Casey and Brett’s hands tighten. Laughing to himself, Will started the examination.

Within the next hour, the rest of 51 arrived at Med, taking up places in the waiting room. Each of them knew how lucky they had all been, but for the first time in a while, they were not here waiting on news about a firefighter’s injury. Instead, they were all there to check on the little girl Casey had saved. A girl that only he seemed to know about.

Cruz was sitting in a hard, plastic chair beside Severide and Kidd when he spoke.

“I swear Severide, I don’t remember seeing a car or booster seat in the back of that car, do you?”

Severide shook his head slowly. “No, but I guess in retrospect we should have checked it closer. How did Case even hear her scream? I certainly didn’t.”

Jumping into the conversation, Kidd added, “I didn’t either, and Captain was as close to me as he was to you. I swear what he did today is the kind of thing that gets you a commendation from the CFD. You too Kelly.”

All three of them, along with the rest of 51, stood up when Dr. Halstead came out.

“Little girl is going to be fine. She is actually with Casey right now, as he probably took in more smoke than she did. He also has a small burn on his cheek, but other than that, everyone is good.”

Bodden walked up, shaking Halstead’s hand. “Thanks Doc. We appreciate it.”

Halstead lowered his voice, trying not to gain the attention of the rest of 51 who were congratulating each other on the good news. “Chief, do you know anything about the girl’s parents? She keeps asking about them.”

Bringing his hand to his face, Bodden realized that in their excitement over Casey’s rescue, they hadn’t even associated the youngster with the two adults in the front seat. All it took was the Chief shaking his head for Halstead to understand.

“Damn.” Will said dejectedly, I will place a call to Child Protective Services.”

_______________


	63. Rescues, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now at the hospital, what happens next for the child Matt saved?

While Halstead was out of the room, Sylvie scooted the chair she was sitting in closer to the young girl. The child who was now sitting at the foot of Matt’s bed. “Pumpkin, you know my name is Sylvie. The firefighter who saved you is Matt. What is your name?”

The child warily looked between the two adults for a few seconds, before she softly whispered her name.

“Tessa.”

Matt, who was sitting back on the bed with oxygen running in his nose, saw Sylvie’s face light up at child’s voice.

“Tessa, that is such a pretty name for a pretty girl.” Sylvie said happily. When she glanced over at Matt, she saw him mouth the word “pumpkin” to her, with his eyebrow raised knowingly.

Brett placed her hand on the girl’s knee, making sure she had the girl’s attention. “Do you know why I called you pumpkin, Tessa? That’s because that is what my Mommy and Daddy called me sometimes. Do your parents have a special name for you?”

Sylvie took a moment, as the girl pondered her question, to take her in. She had soft brown hair that came down to her shoulders, with matching hazel eyes that seemed to take up most of her face. Her face still had smudge marks on it from the fire and smoke, so Brett got up and wet a rag. When she returned, after a moment of hesitation by Tessa, Sylvie started to clean up the child’s face.

“Well Tessa, any special names?”

The young girl slowly shook her head before holding it still while Sylvie ran the cool, wet rag over her cheeks. 

“That’s okay little one.” Matt said through a cough. “Do you mind if my friend Sylvie calls you pumpkin?”

Tessa nodded her head excitedly, eliciting soft laughs from Matt and Sylvie. Their laughs quickly became subdued when Will came back in the room. Standing up, Sylvie moved over to the door to speak with the Doctor.

“Bodden told me what happened to the girl’s parents.” Will said.

Sylvie looked over her shoulder at Tessa, trying to get a smile in return. When she did, she focused her attention back on Halstead. “Do you think Jay could see if she has any next of kin? I would really rather someone from her family tell her about her parents instead of us.”

With a curt nod, Wil left the room to call his brother, passing Bodden as he entered the room.

“Hey Chief.” Brett said, moving over to allow to allow her boss room to enter. Bodden quickly looked between Casey, Brett, and the young girl who was sitting at the end of his Captain’s bed.

Squatting down, the Chief stuck out his hand to the young girl. “My name is Wallace. It’s nice to meet you sweetheart. We are all glad you are safe.”

“Tessa.” Sylvie added. “Her name is Tessa.”

Bodden turned back to face the girl after hearing Brett give him her name. “Tessa! What a pretty name.”

Matt could see the child look over at him before she responded. Once he nodded to her, she turned and took the Chief’s hand.

Sylvie saw a smile instantly spread across Bodden’s face. After shaking Tessa’s hand, he stood back up. “Casey, Brett, you two stay here with this little one until…well, later. Don’t worry about coming back to shift today. I will call in floaters for you two.”

“Thanks Chief.” Matt replied before a cough escaped his lips.

Before he turned to leave, Bodden looked back to Tessa. “You hungry little one?”

The small girl nodded in an exaggerated motion. “Good” Bodden replied, before patting the child’s head. “I will get Lin to bring you three some food.”

As Bodden walked out the door, Brett went with him.

“Chief, I just wanted to apologize about before. I know I have a job to do, but I just had a bad feeling all yesterday and today. So when I saw Matt running, I….I just kind of lost it.”

Bodden nodded slowly, seeming to understand. “Next time you have a bad feeling, Brett, make sure you tell me. Obviously, we might need to listen to your instincts in the future.” With one gentle smile, Bodden headed back to 51.

_________________

Fifteen minutes later, with Tessa’s face now clear of all smudges, Lin brought in 3 hamburgers, fries, and drinks. Matt reached and took two, opening one for Tessa before he undid his own wrapper.

“Do you like hamburgers Tessa?” Matt asked.

Nodding, Tessa chomped down on her burger, chewing a bite that was almost too big for her small mouth. Lin looked over towards Sylvie.

“I got it plain since I wasn’t sure if she had any allergies or didn’t like something. I hope that’s okay.”

Brett sat her food down on a table before turning to hug her partner. “Thanks for today, Violet. You really took charge out there, and I wanted you to know how much I appreciate it.”

Lin waved off Sylvie’s compliment, but not before blushing. “It’s the same thing you have done a hundred times already with me. I am just glad it worked out. I am going to head back to 51, but you two call me if you need me.”

With a small wave at Tessa, Lin headed out. With her partner gone, Brett sat back down to eat.

“Is your hamburger good Tessa?” Matt asked between bites. Seeing her give him a thumbs up as a reply caused both he and Brett to laugh out loud. For the next 10 minutes the three off them ate in silence.

After she finished her burger, Sylvie could see Tessa start to yawn. It started out with one small yawn, and then morphed into a two to three in a row. All of the sudden, to Sylvie’s surprise, Tessa got onto her hands and knees and crawled up the bed, cuddling up to Matt’s right side. Sylvie let her mouth fall open, taking in what had to be one of the sweetest things she had ever seen.

Seeing Sylvie’s reaction, Matt scooted over further to the right side of the bed, brining Tessa with him. Brett knew he had done that for her, so she quickly kicked off her boots and got into the bed on the other side, with Tessa sandwiched in between. Within a minute, the child was out like a light.

Smiling, Matt glanced over at Sylvie. “I love you.”

“I love you too babe.”

With those words spoken, they both joined Tessa in a nap.

___________________

It was right before 6:45pm when Abigail Sanchez walked into Chicago Med. The Social Worker had already been at work for more than 12 hours, and was dreading the visit to the hospital. When she got to the Nurses station in the Emergency Room, she asked the Station Nurse for Dr. Will Halstead.

After putting in her request, Sanchez sat down in the waiting room, part of her wishing that she could sleep while she waited for the doctor. However, Will came out before she could even get comfortable. 

“Dr. Halstead? I am Abigail Sanchez from Child Protective Services.”

Will shook the woman’s hand before he spoke.

“Mrs. Sanchez, about 4 hours ago the CFD brought a minor girl into the ER to get checked out. Tessa Renee Alvarez. She had been rescued from an accident scene where both her parents were pronounced dead at the scene. She has been with two members of the CFD since, including the Captain who saved her life.”

Taking a breath before he continued, Will pursed his lips at the next part. “My brother, Jay, works in the Intelligence Unit of Chicago PD. I called him and asked him to run a search on the parents for any known relatives, but the only one he could find was a cousin on the mother’s side who lives in Arizona. He left her a voicemail, but she hasn’t called back as of yet.”

Sanchez let her chin fall to her chest. This had always been the toughest part of the job for her. She dealt with children all day, but mostly it was trying to protect them from something. In the situation of a parent’s death, she knew she couldn’t protect a child from the pain of loss, nor what would happen next.

The Social Worker followed the doctor back to the room the young girl was at. When they got to the room, she didn’t understand why Halstead didn’t open the door. When she peered in through the glass, though, she understood. There, in front of her, was probably the happiest thing she had seen all day. Two members of the CFD, asleep with what was now an orphan between them. Pulling out her phone, she snapped a picture of it, much to the surprise of Will.

“I need something to keep me going sometimes.” She said honestly.

Will just looked back and forth between Sanchez and the little girl, an idea forming in his head, before speaking.

“You know what Mrs. Sanchez? I think we actually might need to keep the young girl overnight for observation.”

_____________________


	64. Rescues, Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Still in the hospital, Matt gets the last news he wanted to hear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 64! This story is so much fun to write, I am already almost a full 2 chapters ahead. That means you get Chapter 64 early! I hope you are enjoying the twists and turns of this Casey and Brett story. I will caution all of you one thing...just because you THINK you know where the story is going doesn't mean that it where it will end up. Have to try to keep all of you in suspense as long as I can. Hope you enjoy!

Around 7:30pm, Sylvie woke up from her nap. While she was trying to remember where she was, she saw Matt smiling at her.

“Hey, how long was I asleep?” She asked, noticing Tessa was still asleep between them.

“I guess you slept for about 3 or 4 hours. I think all the nervousness you had today caught up with you. Tessa hasn’t woken up once, either.”

Carefully, Sylvie leaned over the small child, kissing Matt gently. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you earlier babe, but you did really good today. This little girl is alive because of you.”

Never one for accolades, Matt turned the tables back on Sylvie. “And I didn’t get a chance to tell YOU earlier, that pumpkin rolled off your tongue really easily with Tessa. Seems to fit, though.”

Brett was about to say something when she repositioned herself, feeling her phone still in her back pocket. Reaching behind her, she grabbed it to put it on the table. As she was doing that, what she saw startled her.

“Holy crap babe. I have 37 missed texts and 12 missed calls?”

Trying to get out of the bed so she didn’t wake the child, Sylvie slowly moved until her feet were hanging off the side of the hospital bed. Using her thumb to swipe up on the screen, she started catching up with the texts. She was three texts in when she turned to Matt.

“Matt, baby, grab the remote and turn on the TV.”

“But what about Tessa?” Matt asked softly.

“Just do it, please.” Brett asked, in a tone Matt couldn’t decipher. Reaching over with his left hand, he grabbed the remote off the side table and hit the power button. It defaulted to the internal hospital channel, so Matt moved the channel selector up. When he got to channel 9, he stopped, dumbfounded.

________________

There on the television was a video of him running towards the car Tessa had been in, clearly taken by someone’s cell phone. A second later, he watched as he fell to the ground, crawling towards the car, with Severide mirroring his movements ten feet behind him. He didn’t have the volume on, but the bar across the bottom of the TV said it.

**_Hero Firefighter Saves Young Girl from Certain Death_ **

Looking over at Sylvie, Matt could see her smiling at him, obviously proud of what had done. Internally, though, Casey felt his worry begin to build. If he had learned one thing during his time at the CFD, media coverage could definitely be a double-edged sword.

Sylvie took the remote from Matt, flipping channels to see the same video on almost all the channels that were still doing local news. If the video wasn’t playing, there was a mention of it across the scrolling feed at the bottom. She was just about to say something to him when she saw an incoming call. 

“Chief?” she answered, surprised.

“Hey Brett. Are you and Casey still at the hospital?”

Brett mouthed “Chief” to Matt. “Yes sir, we are. We actually just woke up from a nap when I saw a text from Kidd telling me to turn on the news.”

“So, you have seen it then.” The Chief replied, in a tone that surprised Brett. It almost sounded like he was upset. “Tell Casey that CFD Media Relations are on their way to the hospital. The two of you are to remain in his room until you are told otherwise, you copy?”

“Copy that Chief. Do you want to talk to Matt?”

“No Brett. Just tell him I will be back to Med as soon as I can.”

When the Chief disconnected the call, she turned to Matt. “That was the Chief. He said CFD Media Relations are on their way? Why would..”

Matt interrupted her. “Sylvie, you have never gone through anything like this before, so it’s hard to explain. But what I can tell you is that for the next little while, EVERYTHING is going to change.”

__________________

Less than fifteen minutes later, three of the highest-ranking members of the Chicago Fire Department Media team descended on Matt’s room. Matt took off the oxygen line while urging the new arrivals to be quiet. With a quick kiss, he asked Brett to stay with Tessa, while he took the CFD brass outside the room.

They had just gotten outside the room when Bodden reappeared, dressed in his shift uniform, but carrying his dress uniform over his shoulder. One of the Press Liaisons, who Matt remembered was named Sarah Blake, turned to one of the nurses on duty. 

“Excuse me, but Administrator Goodwin was to authorize us use of a board room. Do you know if she is here?”

Bodden and Casey shared a look, both men already knowing that Matt was about to get tossed on a train that wouldn’t stop until something knocked it off the tracks.

Just then, Sharon Goodwin walked towards them through the ER. “Everyone, please come with me.”

As soon as everyone was in the conference room, Blake took charge of the meeting.

“Captain Casey, as you are probably already aware, a civilian filmed your rescue of the child today at the scene. Not only has that video made all the local nightly news shows, but it has already been picked up nationally by NBC, as well as gone viral on social media.”

 _Fuck me,_ Matt thought, not liking any of this.

“What we need to do is catch up with this story, so we can control the narrative.” Blake continued. “First off, we need you to walk us through EVERYTHING you remember about this call.”

Before Matt started, he saw two of the other CFD brass pull out tape recorders. Knowing that everything he said would be both used for and against him, he told them entire story from the beginning, making sure that he pointed out he had disobeyed Bodden’s commands not once, but twice.

When he was about to finish, Commissioner Grissom came into the room. Walking by his staff, he held out his hand to Matt. “Captain, excellent job today on that save.”

Casey shook Grisson’s hand, who then turned to shake Bodden’s. Knowing Grissom was involved, Casey figured he was more screwed than he originally thought.

________________

After Grissom sat down, Blake recounted the call as Casey had described, deciding to leave out the part about ignoring orders. Quickly, Matt interceded.

“Commissioner, you need to know that I disobeyed Chief Bodden’s direct orders to fall back TWICE. I am no hero. If anything, this incident should be used as a cautionary tale. I just heard Tessa scream and knew I had to do something. Five seconds more in that car, and I promise you that the CFD would be dealing with the wrong kind of press.”

Grissom was about to say something when Blake broke in. “Tessa? Who’s that?”

At her question, Casey turned to Bodden, knowing he had just messed up. 

Matt stood up, trying his best to hold his hospital gown together in the back. “Tessa is the little girl that we saved. And I swear on everything that is holy in this world, if you divulge her name to the media, I will schedule my own press conference. And I promise you that the CFD will not like how that one goes.”

___________________


	65. Rescues, Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Matt is meeting with the CFD Media Team, events both outside and inside the hospital begin to change, and not for the better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 65! We are almost at 14,000 hits, which is just crazy. Thanks to all of you who are enjoying this little fan fic. We are already on Chapter 65, and have SO MUCH more left to go. Hope you enjoy!

While Matt was meeting with the CFD Media Team, Sylvie sat in a chair by the bed, scrolling through her texts. Even her Mom and Dad had seen the video of Matt saving Tessa, and they had both texted and called her. She was just about to call them back when Will Halstead came into the room. 

Checking to make sure the little girl was still resting, Brett got up and walked over to him. “Any news from Jay on her family?”

Will shook his head. “Not yet. The only family Jay could find was a cousin on the mother’s side in Arizona. He left a voicemail for her, but hasn’t heard back yet. While you all were sleeping, a Social Worker came by, but I told her that we needed to keep Tessa overnight for observation. By the way, her name is Tessa Renee Alvarez.”

Sylvie looked over her shoulder at the little girl, saying her full name in her head. It was a name she never wanted to ever forget. “Thanks. We got Tessa out of her, but didn’t know the rest of her name. Thanks for putting off the Social Worker too. I don’t want her to have to go to a foster home if she doesn’t have to.”

Nodding, Will took a moment to get Brett’s attention. “So, it seems like Casey is a hero. Video has been playing non-stop on the television out front.”

Shifting on her feet, Sylvie played with her watch. “Yeah, I am not sure why, but Matt is really worried about that.”

Halstead smiled. “Brett, he is worried because this is Chicago. What the media giveth, they also taketh away.”

________________

Across town, Social Worker Abigail Sanchez had just thrown her leftovers from the night before in her microwave. As she sat down to wait in her cramped apartment, she turned on the television, fingering through the stack of mail she had received. _More like stack of bills,_ she considered. Just then, she saw a video of a firefighter rescuing a girl who was trapped in a car beside a burning fuel tanker. Pulling out her phone, she compared the picture she had taken at the hospital with the headshot of a Matthew Casey that they were showing on the news. A picture they had pulled from their archives when he was an alderman. 

Letting her phone bounce in her hand, she looked over at the stack of bills. She definitely needed some extra money, but knew what she was thinking was wrong. Finally, she decided the opportunity she had was too good to pass up. Googling the phone number for the Chicago Tribune, she hit call button, fidgeting until someone answered.

“Chicago Tribune.” A woman answered cheerfully.

“Yes, I wanted to see if your paper would like to buy a picture of this hero firefighter that is all over the news. The picture I have even has the little girl he saved in it.”

______________

After Will returned to work, Sylvie moved back over to the chair she had been sitting on. She had just picked her phone back up when she heard Tessa.

“My Mommy and Daddy are dead, right?” the girl asked, tears already welling in her eyes.

Sylvie felt her heart break in two at Tessa’s question. Standing up, she climbed back in bed to hold the young girl, knowing she had overheard her and Will’s conversation. “Yes pumpkin. I am so sorry.”

Brett held the young girl as sobs racked her small body. She could feel her t-shirt dampen with Tessa’s tears. Not knowing what else to say, Sylvie just told the girl how sorry she was, over and over.

____________

Matt was walking back to his room, cursing the hospital gown he was having to hold as he walked. The meeting with the CFD had gone just how he expected it to go. Their only concern was playing up his save for the “good” of the department. Good meaning an increased budget and good will for the CFD. They had already scheduled a press conference for later that night, one that Matt informed them he wouldn’t be attending. Grissom had tried to get him to change his mind, so Matt had started coughing, as violently as he could fake. Begging off the conference, he cited the need to go back to his room for more oxygen.

As Casey slid open the glass door to his room, he saw Sylvie holding Tessa, tears streaming down both of their faces. Forgetting his gown for the moment, he ran over to Sylvie.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, concern evident on his face.

Looking over her shoulder at Matt, Sylvie felt his thumb move across her cheek, wiping off some of her tears. “Tessa knows about her parents.”

Letting his head fall back, he looked to the ceiling, Matt knew that was the last thing that Tessa needed today. Moving to the wardrobe, he pulled out the bag with his clothes in them. He stepped into the bathroom to change, tired of wearing the gown he had on, and when he was finished, took his place on the bed beside Tessa, wrapping his arms around her.

“I am SO sorry Tessa.” He whispered, as the little girl let go of Sylvie and turned towards Matt. Her small fingers grasping his shirt as tightly as she could.

Matt let his hand run through her hair, soothing her. He glanced up at Sylvie, seeing her still upset about the child’s situation. “Tessa, I promise that Sylvie and I will be here for you, whenever you need us. Okay?”

He looked back up at Sylvie, seeing a faint smile cross her lips at his words. _Now Sylvie and I just have to figure out how we can help Tessa._

______________________

Abigail Sanchez had spoken to three different people already, each of them informing her that they didn’t buy pictures from the general public.

She was put on hold again, something she was getting used to with the people she was speaking with, when a very blunt man came onto the phone.

“Mrs. Sanchez, my name is Anthony Walker. I am the Editor of the paper. Why don’t you come down to our offices and let us take a look at this picture you have? If it is as good as you say, I promise you we will make it worth your time.”

Smiling, Sanchez hung up the phone. _Forget the leftovers,_ she thought. _Tonight, I might be eating steak._

_____________________

Casey could feel Tessa’s sobs lessening. He looked down at her, forcing a smile on his face. Just as he had done with Sylvie, he used his thumb to wipe away her tears. He tried to think of the right thing to say, but when it didn’t come, he just remained silent. Releasing one of his hands from Tessa, Matt reached over and took Sylvie’s hand in his.

“Sweetie, is there anything you want us to do for you? Anything you need?”

The couple could see Tessa thinking, both of them not sure if what the child wanted was anything they could help with. For a second, Tessa’s eyes moved between the two of them.

“Can I stay here with you the two of you?”

_____________________


	66. Media Storms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A press conference is held, as is a little girl. Both, though, are about to get turned upside down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 66! Things are starting to heat up in this arc, one that will last several more chapters. I appreciate all of your comments and kudos, with several of you having VERY strong feelings about some of the new characters I have introduced. I can promise you those feelings will only get stronger starting now. Hope you enjoy!

At promptly 7pm, Sarah Blake stepped up to a microphone in front of 5 television cameras, as well as 20 different recording devices.

“The Chicago Fire Department would like to thank all of you for coming on such short notice tonight. We are holding this press conference to discuss the actions of one of Chicago Fire’s finest. With more information on this, I would like to introduce you to Commissioner Carl Grissom.”

All the cameras pivoted to capture Grissom walking up to the microphone. “Ladies and Gentleman of the press, what I am here to speak about is something all of you have already witnessed with your own eyes. The video that has been seen currently 39,000 times on YouTube, as well as countless times on your networks and websites. A video that shows Captain Matthew Casey of Firehouse 51, risking his own life to save that of a young girl. A girl that was trapped in a car near a fully involved gasoline tanker. To say that Captain Casey is a hero is an understatement. His courage exemplifies what the brave men and woman of the Chicago Fire Department do on a daily basis, during times when there are not video cameras running. We risk our own lives to protect the citizens of Chicago. If any of you have any questions, I will be more than happy to answer them now.”

Bodden watched as what seemed like thirty hands shot in the air, some press already screaming out questions in an attempt to be first. He pulled down on his uniform jacket, hoping that he wouldn’t have to answer any questions. He assumed Grissom would want to stay in the limelight, but imagined if a question came that he didn’t like, that one would get sent over to him.

“Commissioner, Taylor Robinson, Fox8. “Can you tell us if the victim and the firefighter sustained any injuries?”

Grissom smiled at the softball question he got first. _I am going to get a budget increase out of this for sure._ “No Taylor. Captain Casey had some smoke inhalation and a small burn, but both he, and the young child, are fine.” Turning to his right, Grissom pointed to what had to be the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

“Commissioner Grissom, Kelly Weatherford, NBC12. Can you tell us when this girl and Captain Casey will be available for questions?” 

Shaking his head, Grissom knew better than to go there. “No, I am sorry. That is a question for Chicago Med.” He was about to move to the next reporter when Weatherford asked him a follow up.

“Sorry Commissioner, one more quick question. In the video someone can be heard yelling “fall back”. Can you explain what that means in fire department lingo?”

Kelly Weatherford smiled, her perfect teeth framed by a face that she knew was made for television. She understood she caught the Commissioner off guard, as this was the exact sort of hard-hitting question she hoped would get her on a national NBC news show tomorrow morning. She chuckled to herself, knowing that her and her tech guy had spent an hour using every studio trick in the book to break out any and every word that was audible in the video.

Bodden could see Grissom sweating, and then turning to face him. _Oh well,_ Bodden thought. _Grissom was good until the heat got turned up._

“For that question Kelly, I am going to bring in Chief Wallace Bodden, who is over Firehouse 51. Chief Bodden was commander on scene at the call today.”

All of 51 was gathered in front of the television in the bullpen. When Bodden had left to go to the hospital, he took them out of service, so none of them had anything to do except watch the news coverage. At the sound of Grissom throwing the question he didn’t like to Bodden, Severide turned to Kidd. 

“Here it goes.” He whispered, worry obvious in his tone.

______________

Abigail Sanchez had just gotten to the Chicago Tribune’s office, and was escorted by a receptionist to a conference room where Anthony Walker sat. The man stood up and shook her hand, quickly introducing 3 other folks whose names she could care less about.

“So, Mrs. Sanchez, would you mind showing us the picture you have?”

Abigail pulled her cell phone out and opened the picture. Making sure that her phone never left her hand, she held it over the table for all of them to see it.

Shooting a glance over at his head tech person, Walker got the head nod he was expecting. The picture looked legit. He knew, at that point, he had to get that picture. His bosses had been up his ass about growing digital hits, and this was the exact sort of hot story he could use to do that. “Okay Mrs. Sanchez. How much do you want for the photo?”

Sanchez had been thinking about that during her entire cab ride from her house. Trying to stand up straighter, she spit out a number. “$2,500.”

That figure caused Walker to laugh out loud. “I’m sorry, but best I can do is $500.”

Contemplating his answer, Sanchez knew she needed at least $2,000 to catch up all of her past due bills and have a little left over for herself. Figuring this man across the table from her was bluffing, she decided to pull out her ace.

“$2,000 for the picture AND the young girls full name.”

_______________

Back in the hospital room, Tessa had stopped crying, though Matt and Sylvie could both see the sadness lingering in her eyes. Deciding to try to cheer her up, Matt asked both of the girls a question.

“Are either of you getting hungry again? I was thinking of ordering a pizza.”

Seeing a smile form on Tessa’s face, Sylvie understood what Matt was doing. “And I was thinking about going and trying to find some coloring books and crayons. Do you like coloring pumpkin?”

That question got Brett a nod which, under the circumstances, she would take. While Sylvie went out of the room to look for crayons and coloring books, Matt asked Tessa what kind of pizza she liked.

“Just cheese.” The child replied. Happy that they got her to talk, Matt grabbed Sylvie’s phone and ordered a pizza delivery on the app they used.

Sylvie had just walked into the kid’s waiting room at the hospital, scrounging up whatever she could find that she thought Tessa would like. Right when she was about to leave, she looked up, catching Bodden standing in front of a microphone on TV. For a second, she just stood there, watching the TV without sound. Seeing Bodden’s sour expression, that was when it hit her. _Maybe Matt knew what he was talking about earlier with the press._

_____________________


	67. Media Storms Cotinued

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the enthusiasm at the press conference outside turns, so does the mood in the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 67! I have gotten some strong feedback on the social worker already, so you will definitely want to see what happens with her in this chapter and the next few. As always, thanks for reading. Hope you enjoy!

Wallace Bodden stepped up to the microphone with a sense of calm inside, but stoic and angry on the outside. He certainly didn’t like talking with the media, but he had learned a long time ago from one of his former mentors to just tell the truth, in the most succinct way possible.

After taking a quick breath, he looked over at the female reporter again. “I’m sorry ma’am, could you repeat your question again?”

Weatherford knew a stall tactic when she saw one, but obliged what she saw as her new victim. “I asked what the CFD means by “Fall Back” Chief?”

Bodden looked at her with a steely gaze. “Ma’am, fall back is a command I issue to my people when I deem a situation to be unsafe.”

For the first time in a long time, Weatherford was surprised to actually have someone tell her the truth. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see all her competitors getting ready to pounce on this new bit of information, but she was determined to not let the CFD off that easily.

“So, are you saying that this _hero,_ Captain Casey, disobeyed your order?”

Smiling, Bodden understood this was her second attempt to trap him, but he wasn’t having it. “Ma’am, I issue orders for the safety of my firefighters, squad members, and paramedics. My orders are not law, and I have the upmost confidence in the leaders beneath me to make their own decisions, within CFD regulations of course. Especially when their decisions come to saving the lives of the people of Chicago. And to answer your next question, Captain Matthew Casey is DEFINITELY one of those leaders.”

With his answer given, Bodden moved back to his previous spot, letting Grissom take back over. Wallace saw Weatherford looking at him in amazement. Inside, Wallace chuckled to himself. _And that’s how we do it at 51._

Back at 51, everyone yelled and cheered at Bodden’s response to the smartass reporter. Capp and Ritter exchanged high fives, while Severide hugged Kidd. Even Violet let Gallo hug her, both caught up in the moment. For once, maybe, the press would be a friend and not an enemy.

________________

Across town, Abigail Sanchez was counting out the $2,000 in cash, making sure it was all there before she left. Across the table, Anthony Walker had one of his reporters writing a story as fast as they humanly could, as the tech guy Sanchez had seen was uploading the picture she had emailed them. Once she was content that all the money was there, she walked out of the building and out onto the street, hailing a cab. 

When one stopped in front of her, she got in, just as the driver turned to her over his shoulder.

“Where to lady?”

“Can you take me to Ruth’s Chris?” Sanchez asked, before leaning back into the seat, thrilled with how her day had ended.

_______________

Back at Med, Sylvie had just brought Tessa some coloring books and crayons back into the room. She, Matt and Tessa were all coloring different pages, with both of the adults noticing that Tessa was talking more than she had been. 

They had only been at it for twenty minutes when the pizza was delivered. Matt had paid for it with his credit cardon the app, so he just took the pizza and sat it down on the bed. Sylvie stepped out of the room, walking through the ER, hoping to bum a few dollars off any nurse she knew to buy them drinks. As she walked, she felt her phone buzzing with an incoming call. Grabbing it from her back pocket, she saw it was Kidd calling.

“Hey Kidd. What’s up?”

“Girl!” Kidd exclaimed. “Did you all watch Bodden at the press conference? He was all business, and I swore he about made a reporter cry. It was AWESOME!”

Sylvie laughed at her friend, understanding how intimidating the Chief could be if he wanted to. “No, we didn’t. Tessa heard me talking to Dr. Halstead and figured out her parents were dead. We have been trying to keep her mind off of everything since then.”

Noticing Kidd had gotten quiet, Brett was about to speak when she heard Stella again.

“Oh shit Brett. The Tribune just posted a picture of you all at the hospital. And they also printed Tessa’s full name.”

Brett disconnected the call, turning around to head back to Matt’s room. She was trying to pull up the Chicago Tribune’s website as she walked, but had to stop to type it correctly. When the picture of the three of them sleeping was the first thing to come up, Sylvie felt sick to her stomach. A feeling that was quickly replaced with anger.

_If this hurts Tessa, I swear I am going to kill someone._

______________________

Grissom was answering some question about whether Casey would get a commendation, when Bodden noticed Weatherford’s camera man holding up a phone to her. He saw a smile cross the reporter's face, and then she turned toward him and winked. Knowing something was up, Bodden started inching closer to Blake.

“Get Grissom now.” He whispered to the woman.

Sarah Blake looked at the Chief with a look of disgust. “Are you kidding me?” she whispered. “This is the best press we have had in years.”

Wallace reached out and squeezed her forearm. “Get him down Blake. He is about to get ambushed.”

Sarah turned toward Bodden, not understanding what he was talking about. Just then, she heard the sound of about a dozen cell phones start buzzing. Moving quickly, she stepped in front of Grissom, much to his surprise.

“I’m sorry everyone, but that is all we have for you now. We will put out a press release for all of you later.” 

With that said, she and Bodden practically dragged Grissom away from the microphone.

Back in the hospital, Sylvie ran into the room, turning her phone so only Matt could see it. It took a second for him to realize exactly what he was looking at, but when he did, Brett saw his face redden with anger. Hopping off the bed, Matt walked out of his room, closing it behind him. At that point he only had one mission. To find Sarah Blake and make her regret every taking her job with the CFD.

_______________

Matt walked back towards the conference room, getting there right after the CFD brass closed the door. Not caring anymore, Matt opened the door and entered.

“What the hell, Blake? I told you not to release Tessa’s name!”

Bodden, seeing how angry Casey was, moved in between him and the CFD official.

“Me?” Blake screamed at him. “I’m not the one fucking taking a nap with an orphan and my girlfriend. Who took that picture Casey?”

Bodden looked over at Grissom, who was at the moment studying his phone. Knowing he would be of no help, the Chief decided to take control.

“ENOUGH!” he yelled, the sound of his voice ricocheting off the walls.

Casey had heard that tone before, and immediately stepped back. Turning towards Blake, Bodden saw she was more shocked than anything. “Now, we are all going to sit down and get to the bottom of this. Do you understand me?” Bodden said firmly.

After Casey nodded, Wallace turned to see Sarah doing the same thing. Taking a seat between them, he took the lead.

“Okay. First Blake, do not EVER talk to one of my people like that again. Do you understand me?”

Blake nodded, looking anywhere but back at the Chief. Seeing he had her understanding, he turned to Matt.

“Casey, do you know who took that picture?”

Matt shook his head. “We were asleep Chief. We had just eaten the lunch Lin brought, and Tessa got tired and crawled up to me. Sylvie and I were just trying to be there for a little girl whose parents just died.”

Turning back to Blake, Wallace asked her the next question. “Blake, how did Tessa’s name get out. Not only her first name, but her whole name?”

“I don’t know Chief. None of my people even know her first name.”

Grissom started to speak, but Bodden shot him a look that quickly quieted him. “Okay, here is what we are going to do.” The Chief started, before being interrupted.

Everyone in the room turned to see Dr. Will Halstead and Sharon Goodwin walk into the conference room.

“Chief,” Will started. “I think I know how all this got out.”

__________________


	68. Friends Through Thick and Thin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone tries to figure out what happens next, while 51 takes matters into their own hands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 68! Some of you have some strong feelings about the social worker in this story, a character that you will see for the next couple of chapters. As always, thanks to all of you for reading, commenting, and sending kudos. I love reading your thoughts and concerns about this story, good or bad. Since so many of you have been with me through all 68 chapters, I will give you a spoiler alert. Chapter 69 ends in a cliffhanger NONE of you will see coming. Hope you enjoy!

As de facto Commanding Officer of 51, Severide knew what they had to do when he saw the picture of the girl and their friends hit the internet. “51. Let’s load up. We are heading to Med.”

He was sure not everyone understood why, but was pleased to see all of them move towards their vehicles. As he got in his Squad truck, he turned to Cruz.

“Get us there as fast as you can.”

______________

Back at Med, Halstead was bringing everyone up to speed. “Since Tessa is a minor, Child Protective Services got called. They sent a woman whose name escapes me at the moment. I gave her Tessa’s full name, because Brett asked me to have Jay try and track down her family. This woman and I walked to Casey’s room, and she was the one who took the picture. “I swear Chief Bodden. All this had to be her doing.”

Bodden nodded before turning back to look at Blake. “You know anyone in charge over at CPS, Blake?”

Sarah shook his head, as did Matt when Bodden looked at him. Behind him, he heard Sarah Goodwin speak up. “I do Chief. Let me go make a call.”

As soon as Goodwin left, Bodden stood up. “Okay folks. There is only one priority right now, and that is keeping this young girl OUT of the spotlight as much as possible. Everyone agree?”

Out of courtesy, Bodden looked back at Grissom, seeing him nod as well. With that settled, they tried to come up with a game plan.

_______________

In Matt’s room, Sylvie and Tessa were each eating a piece of pizza. They still didn’t have any drinks, so for the moment they were sharing Matt’s water cup that was in his hospital room. Sylvie looked at the child, watching as she chewed a piece of pizza and colored at the same time. Taking her hand, she ran it through Tessa’s hair. 

“I promise we are going to keep you safe, pumpkin.”

Surprising Brett, Tessa looked up at the paramedic. “I know.”

Sylvie couldn’t help but smile at the young girl’s confidence. Putting her pizza down, she wrapped her arms around the small girl, pulling her in tight. “You are one smart little girl. You know that Tessa?”

For the first time in a while, Brett was rewarded when Tessa looked up and smiled brightly at her. Straightening back up, Sylvie couldn’t describe the feeling that she felt washing over her. For a moment, it confused her, but then it became clear. _Love._

__________________

15 minutes later, all of 51 arrived and exited their CFD vehicles. Kelly got out, noticing that they all had fallen in around him. “Okay 51. The only thing that is important right now is making sure that no more press get to the little girl our friends are with. You all know as well as I do that the press can be sneaky, so I want some of you at every entrance making sure none of them try to enter. Kidd, Cruz, you two come with me and we are going to stand watch by their door. Everyone, this little girl lost BOTH of her parents today, so right now we, along with Casey and Brett, are the only ones who can protect her. Let’s move.”

Seeing everyone disperse in different directions, Kidd walked up to Severide and kissed him. “Kelly, you in charge is VERY hot.”

Severide laughed, just happy that everyone agreed this was a good idea. Looking back at Kidd, he whispered in her ear. “Just remember that when we get home tomorrow, okay?”

_________________

As Bodden, Blake, and Casey formulated a plan, Goodwin came back into the room. “Chief, I have the Deputy Director of CPS on my phone. She said the woman who was assigned to Tessa’s case is Abigail Sanchez. She tried calling her, but only got her voicemail. Needless to say, she is very distraught over this turn of events.”

All of the sudden, something clicked in Matt’s brain. “Ma’am, do you mind if I talk to her for a moment?”

Goodwin handed her cell phone to Casey, wondering exactly what the Captain was going to do. She sincerely hoped it wasn’t to yell at the woman on the other end of the line. A woman she knew felt terrible about this whole situation.

Taking the phone out of the conference room, Casey put the phone to his ear. “Ma’am, this is Matt Casey, Captain of Firehouse 51. I think I have a solution if you are agreeable with it.”

_________________

While Sylvie was eating pizza, she was shocked to see Cruz, Kidd and Severide appear outside her door. After telling Tessa she would be right back, Brett walked to the glass door, pulling it open.

“What are you guys doing here?” Sylvie asked.

Kidd turned to see her friend, hugging her. “Severide thought it would be a good idea if we came and acted like security guards. Make sure no more nosy press get to that little girl you have in there. How is she doing?”

Looking over her shoulder, Sylvie waved at Tessa who was watching them. “Better than I thought. She took the news of her parents pretty hard, but she is at least talking and smiling again.”

Not caring if it was professional or not while on duty, Brett reached out and hugged Severide and Cruz too. “Thank you all SO much for this. Tessa wouldn’t care about her name getting leaked to the press, but Matt is PISSED.”

________________

Casey walked back into the conference room, looking at everyone in attendance. “I just spoke with the Deputy Director of CPS. I asked her to check my file, and I am still approved as a foster parent here in Chicago. That means that Sylvie and I can get Tessa out of here, since the Director already approved it. Maybe we can keep the press at bay if they don’t know we all have left the hospital.”

Goodwin turned to Halstead, who simply nodded. “Chief, we are good with that if you are?”

Bodden smiled for the first time in what felt like an hour. “Blake, Commissioner, you okay with that?”

When both of them nodded, Casey didn’t have to be told twice. He handed Goodwin her phone back and was about to leave the room when Blake stood up. 

“Captain, come to CFD Plaza tomorrow morning. We need to discuss getting you on a press tour.”

Matt looked at Bodden, seeing his boss wink at him. With that settled, he walked out of the room, wanting nothing more than to get Sylvie and Tessa out of Chicago Med and back to somewhere no one would bother them.

As Bodden watched Casey leave, he pulled out his own cell phone. Scrolling through his contacts, he found the one he was looking for and pressed the call button. He waited a few rings before the person picked up.

“Hank, Wallace Bodden at Firehouse 51. I need your help with something.”

___________________


	69. Out of the Hospital, but Not Out of Danger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As things at the hospital wrap up, Matt, Sylvie and Tessa look forward to heading home. But will an old worry come back to haunt them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 69! This story just crossed 14,800 hits, which is awesome. The end of this arc is in sight, but not without one more cliff hanger ending for all of you. I hope you enjoy!

As Matt neared his hospital room, he was surprised to find Severide, Cruz, Kidd and Sylvie all standing outside.

“What you are all doing here?” He asked.

Cruz took the lead for the group. “Severide thought you all might need some security, so all of 51 is at your service.”

For a moment, Casey thought she was joking with him, but when he saw Sylvie smiling and nodding, he knew that she wasn’t. Knowing he had even better news, he moved closer to them.

“Well, that’s good. Because Sylvie and I are taking Tessa home with us for the night.”

Brett wasn’t sure if Matt was being serious, but when she saw he was, she pushed through her friends and threw her arms around him. “Really? I don’t want Tessa to be alone until her family comes for her.”

Matt squeezed his girlfriend tightly. “Me either. And it’s a good thing 51 showed up, because we need a lift back to the station.”

________________

In the conference room, Bodden had just hung up with Hank Voight of Intelligence. Turning to face Goodwin and Halstead, he filled them in. “Voight is sending a unit to sit on this social worker’s home. When she gets back, she is going to be quite surprised to see Chicago PD waiting for her. Voight said he has some things he would like to talk to her about.”

With that news, Halstead and Goodwin left to discharge Casey and Tessa, so Bodden turned to Blake. “Blake, can you please explain to me what you are going to be asking of my Captain?”

Sarah glanced towards Grissom, immediately seeing by his look that she was on her own. “Chief, we would like to get Captain Casey on as many local shows as we can tomorrow while this story is hot. You must understand that we need all the positive press we can get, and we also need to counteract the picture of Casey, his girlfriend, and the little girl sleeping together. We just want to take advantage of the opportunity that has fallen into our laps.”

Bodden nodded, understanding. He knew he had no authority over CFD Media Relations, as they fell to the purview of Grissom. With that said, he wanted to limit Casey’s exposure as much as possible, while protecting Tessa at the same time. “Commissioner, I would respectfully ask that we limit Casey’s interviews to only one of two. You know as well as I do that Casey isn’t going to want to do ANY interviews, so if we only ask him for a couple, he is more apt to say yes.”

Grissom looked between Bodden and Blake, weighing his options. He had known Matt Casey for years through Severide, and while Matt was very loyal to 51, that loyalty DID NOT extend to CFD Plaza. He understood both of their concerns, as they definitely needed good press, but one wrong ask of Casey could end up back firing on them. “Blake, let’s limit the press interviews to two. You pick which ones. Hopefully, the media we have already gotten will make up for the lack of face time with the hero.”

With that settled, Grissom shook Bodden’s hand, and along with Blake, headed back to headquarters.

________________

Feeling better about the entire situation, Bodden started walking towards Casey’s room to share the plan with him. As he came around a corner, he was shocked to see other members of his house standing with Casey and Brett. When he got behind them, he just laughed.

“Anyone want to explain to me why it looks like half of my firehouse is here?” Bodden asked, grinning.

Severide turned towards his commanding officer. “Well sir.” He said, scratching the back of his head. “We just figured that this little girl needed some protection from the press. So, we decided to be that for her. Right now, we have folks at every hospital entrance.”

Grabbing his Lieutenant’s shoulder, Bodden felt the pride for his people build in his chest. “Well done Severide. Now, let’s all get back to 51.”

________________

As Matt carried Tessa in his arms, he squeezed Sylvie’s hand. Even though this day had gone from bad to good to bad again, he knew they had the support of their 51 family. Bodden stopped them as they got to the hospital exit, using his radio to make sure the coast was clear. When they heard it was, Matt and Sylvie ran as quickly as they could to Bodden’s buggy, while the rest of 51 returned to their vehicles.

As Sylvie got buckled in, she looked at Tessa, who was sitting between her and Matt in the back seat. “Pumpkin, I am sorry we don’t have a booster seat for you, but I promise you will be okay. Besides that, you are going home with Matt and me tonight.”

Everyone laughed as Tessa clapped her small hands in front of her. Matt smiled at the young girl, but internally his worry grew. He knew that soon, the realization she was an orphan would cause the tears she had stopped crying to return again.

__________________

As the vehicles got closer to 51, Bodden slowed down at the sight of the press. “You all squat down in the back seat. The press is here.”

Doing as Bodden instructed, Casey and Brett bent down as low as they could in his back seat. When the Chief drove through the 15-20 media people who were gathered on the sidewalk, he waited until Kidd closed the doors to the firehouse before letting them know the coast was clear.

Brett helped Tessa out of the car. “Babe, I am going to go change and see if Tessa needs to use the restroom.”

Matt nodded, and then turned, searching until he saw Hermann. “Hey Hermann. Do you and Cindy have any old clothes that would fit Tessa? Or maybe even a booster seat you have that we can borrow?”

“I don’t know, Captain.” Hermann replied. “But I will call the wife and ask. If we do, it’s that little girls to use for sure.”

Content they had thought of everything, Matt walked back to his quarters to pack up. He knew the only thing he wanted to do was get Sylvie and Tessa home so the child could relax, and maybe sleep again. As he was throwing things in his bag, Severide came and leaned against his door frame. 

“Thanks for today Severide.”

Waving him off, Kelly replied. “It’s fine. We were all just sitting around here at the house bored. Gave us something to do.”

Casey looked at his friend earnestly. “I was talking about at the scene. There is a good chance that little girl would be dead if you hadn’t pulled me out of the car. Me too. If they give out commendations, you should get one first.”

Nodding, Severide turned to see Brett and Tessa coming out of the locker room. “Hey man, if there is press at your house, you all just head over to the loft. You still have a key Case.”

Matt nodded, then smiled at the woman he loved and the child he rescued walked towards him. “You all ready to go?”

“Yep.” Sylvie replied, resting her hand on Tessa’s shoulder. “As soon as we can find a way to get out of here.”

“Bodden is going to take us home in his buggy.” Matt replied.

_________________

Across town at NBC12, Kelly Weatherford dialed a phone number. A number that had cost her agreeing to a date with the station’s sleaze ball researcher to obtain. Punching in the number on her desk phone, she waited through several rings for someone to answer.

“Yes, this is Kelly Weatherford with NBC12 News in Chicago. Is this Gabriela Dawson?”


	70. Is This the Beginning of Something?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Sylvie take Tessa home, unaware of other conversations that are going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 70! We are nearing the end of this arc, with one more surprise for all of you coming up in the next few chapters. As always, thank you all for your continued support by reading, commenting, and sending kudos. You all are the best. Hope you enjoy!

Stella walked out of 51 with Brett’s bag over her shoulder. She had changed into her civilian clothing before she left, so she walked straight to Brett’s car, ignoring the press as she did. When she got in, she quickly started her friend’s car before heading off to Casey and Brett’s house.

About ten minutes later, Cruz opened the doors to 51’s apparatus floor, allowing Bodden to drive his buggy out the other side, away from the press. When they were three blocks away, the Chief called back over his shoulder.

“You all can sit up now.”

Hearing that, Matt and Sylvie sat back up, with Brett tickling Tessa as she did. The little girl laughed, a sound all three of them were glad to hear. Fifteen minutes later, the Chief pulled up in front of the house, parking on the street.

“You three have a good night, you hear?” Bodden said cheerfully. “Don’t hesitate to call if you need us.”

“Thanks Chief.” Matt replied. “Hopefully the press doesn’t know where I live yet, but we will call if we need you.”

Sylvie unbuckled Tessa from her seat belt before standing up by the car. When Tessa jumped into her arms, she caught the child easily. “Say goodbye to the Chief, pumpkin. We need to get you inside and in a bath.”

Kidd hugged Brett as she walked to the Chief’s buggy. With their three friends safe at home, Bodden and Kidd rode back to 51 with a weight off their shoulders.

______________

Sitting at her desk, news reporter Kelly Weatherford couldn’t believe her luck. This “hero”, Matthew Casey, had an ex-wife who CLEARLY held a grudge against him. She was getting all kinds of good dirt to use for her story. His father was an alcoholic, who was later killed by the hero’s mother. After that, Casey spent time in a foster home, and all that was just what happened BEFORE he joined the CFD. Then his first girlfriend was murdered, and after this Dawson lady asked him to come to Puerto Rico with her numerous times, she divorced him when he didn’t.

Weatherford could hear the edge in Gabriela Dawson’s voice, an edge she immediately knew she could use for her benefit. What she found out next had her practically dancing in her office. Casey was in a current relationship with his ex’s best friend and former partner, one that Dawson surmised might have started before their divorce was finalized. And then there was the bombshell that every reporter longed for. Dawson, an esteemed former member of the CFD, who used to be a paramedic and Casey’s wife no less, told her the Captain had a history of head injuries and shouldn’t have even been employed by the CFD.

Sitting back in her chair, Weatherford could envision an entire series on the CFD, using all that she had learned on Casey as just a jumping off point to other topics. Alcohol and drug use, infidelity, embezzlement, along with any other dirt she could dig up on other members of the CFD. The sky was the limit. So much so, Kelly was already trying to pick out a spot for her Emmy in her office. When she asked Dawson the next question, she held her breath, hoping the answer would be yes.

“Uh, Mrs. Dawson. Would you mind coming by the station and taping an interview on this subject? Obviously, your knowledge of both Captain Casey and the CFD would be beneficial in exposing the wrongs that are going on.”

There was silence on the other end of the line for what seemed like minutes, but in fact was only seconds. Then Kelly heard Dawson give her best answer she had received all day. 

“Of course I would. Just tell me where and when.”

______________________

After the interview was over, Dawson sat her cell phone down on the table in her hotel room. For a second, she felt a thread of guilt run through her, but it quickly passed. Matt had the audacity to tell her that he didn’t love her anymore, so anything that happened now was on him, not her. To top that off, he had bought a house with Brett? Christie had been right, Matt didn’t move that fast with ANYONE when it came to relationships, so the only possible answer was that this Brett and Casey romance had to have been going on for a while. It might have even been the reason he wouldn’t come to Puerto Rico with her, or didn’t fight for her when she sent the divorce papers to him.

 _Oh well,_ she thought, _Matt’s about to know what heartbreak actually feels like._

__________________________

While Brett had Tessa in the bathtub, Matt put the young girl’s clothes in the washing machine. He knew they didn’t have anything they needed for a child at the house, but he was sure they could make due for a night. As he cleaned up the downstairs as much as possible, he heard the sound of little feet coming down the stairs. As he turned, he saw Tessa running towards him, her hair still damp and wearing one of Sylvie’s t-shirts that swallowed her whole.

“Matt”, the girl yelled happily as she ran towards him. With one quick movement, Tessa was in Matt’s arms and off the floor.

“Tessa, what time do you normally go to bed.” He asked her.

When she shrugged her shoulders, both Matt and Sylvie laughed.

“How about this pumpkin. While Matt washes your clothes, why don’t we get you in bed and I will tell you a goodnight story?”

For the little girl, that seemed like a great idea, so she reached out for Sylvie. As Brett took her from Matt, she gave her boyfriend a soft kiss.

“You want to come upstairs with us?” Sylvie asked.

“As long as we don’t turn on the TV or news, always.” Matt replied.

With that, the three of them headed back upstairs to their spare bedroom.

__________________

Thirty minutes later, after Sylvie completely made up a nighttime story for Tessa, Brett was leaning against the door frame of their spare bedroom. As she watched Tessa sleep in her old bed, she felt Matt’s arms wrap around her waist.

“Babe, I was just curious. I thought you said you didn’t want to take in another foster child until they were ours?” Sylvie asked, turning her head towards him.

Matt leaned down and kissed Sylvie softly, before their kiss deepened. “I didn’t want to. But I was not going to let Tessa spend the night in a group home if we could help it. When I talked to the Director of Protective Services about the mess they caused today, I knew she would be hard pressed to tell me no. So, I just informed her that letting Tessa stay with us tonight would go a long way towards me not telling the press where that picture of all of us came from.”

Nodding, Sylvie understood that sentiment. As she watched the sweet orphan, asleep in their house, she knew she had to be honest with her boyfriend. “Matt, I definitely understand that. I already love Tessa, and I have only known her for 5 hours.”

Kissing her forehead, Matt felt the same way. “I know Syl. Just remember that a relative from Arizona was called to come get her. I don’t want you heartbroken when that happens.”

Turning, Sylvie pulled Matt’s lips back to hers. He could sense the need in her kiss, and was more than willing to go wherever she wanted to take things. When she broke the kiss, she looked up at him, he saw nothing but desire before she whispered in his ear.

“Take me to bed and make love to me, babe. I want us to have a baby. I want everything that we have right now for the rest of our lives.”

“Sylvie, I love you more than I dreamt was possible. I want the exact same thing.”

___________________


	71. Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt heads to CFD Plaza for his media meetings, while Sylvie gets a surprise visitor at the house. Meanwhile, another meeting is happening that will shock both Casey and Brett.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 71! Sorry it took so long to post, but went away to the North Carolina mountains this weekend and ended up not having internet. I want to thank all of you for reading, commenting, and sending kudos for this story. I can't wait until Chicago Fire returns, but until it does, writing this story makes up for its absence. Hope you enjoy!

The next morning, Matt woke up to an empty bed. He could hear the sound of laughter downstairs, so he jumped out of bed and threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. As soon as hit the bottom of the stairs, he saw Sylvie and Tessa, together, making pancakes in the kitchen. He stood there, taking in the vision of what he wanted to see every morning forever. The woman he loved, being affectionate and caring towards a child. He had always known Sylvie would be an amazing mother, but the scene in front of him gave him a sneak preview of what real life could look like one day.

Walking over to them, Matt messed up Tessa’s hair, earning him a smile from the child. Leaning down, he kissed Sylvie, whispering in her ear.

“Can I just tell you that last night was amazing.”

Blushing, Brett leaned back towards Matt, kissing him again. Speaking softly, she let her hand run up his chest.

“Just think, we get to do that ALL the time until I get pregnant.”

Matt laughed as he poured himself a cup of coffee. Sylvie talking about them having a baby wasn’t new, but her being so vocal about trying was. He figured it had something to do with the small, brown haired girl, who currently had flour on her cheeks. Looking at the clock, Matt poured himself a cup of coffee.   
  
“I have got to get a shower and get downtown for my meeting at CFD Plaza. Wish me luck.”

“Good luck.” Tessa said loudly, causing Matt and Sylvie to smile.

With visions of a family running through his head, Matt ran upstairs to get ready.

__________________

In the intelligence unit, Hailey Upton and Jay Halstead were questioning Social Worker Abigail Sanchez in an interrogation room. The police unit that had been sitting on Sanchez’s house brought her to the station right before 10pm the night before, and Voight decided to let her sit in lockup for the entire night before questioning her. If there was one thing that Voight hated, it was someone messing with kids.

“Abigail,” Upton reasoned. “You had $1,800 in cash in your purse when we picked you up AND a receipt from Ruth’s Chris. Are you really trying to tell us you didn’t get that from compromising your position with the City?”

Sanchez looked like a scared puppy, her eyes darting around, trying to find something, anything, to get her out of this. Finally, after having been questioned for a little less than an hour, she broke.

“I want a deal.” She said flatly.

Jay looked at Hailey, and for a second, he was able to keep a straight face. But it quickly dissolved into uncontrollable laughter. “Mrs. Sanchez, you don’t have anyone else we want. You are already going to lose you job. Do you want to make this harder than it really is?”

Letting her shoulders slump, Abigail Sanchez cursed ever getting the assignment for Tessa Renee Alvarez. “Okay, I admit it all. What else do you want me to do?”

Looking over her shoulder at the two-way mirror Voight was behind, Upton was honest in her answer. “Preferably go to jail. Bu that will be up to the DA to decide.”

___________________

Christopher Hermann had just walked in the door and given his wife a kiss, when she promptly told him she was heading to Casey and Brett’s house. She had a bag full of clothes and various other children’s items, many of which Hermann had no idea the origin of. Chuckling to himself, he headed into the kitchen to see what his own kids were doing.

Cindy Hermann showed up at the other house twenty-five minutes later. She loved kids, that much was obvious by how many children she and Christopher had. But that never stopped her from loving to meet and hold new ones. Carrying the bag up the steps, she knocked on the door. A minute later, Sylvie answered it, surprised to see Cindy there.

“Cindy. I didn’t know you were stopping by. Come in.”

Cindy surprised Sylvie by hugging her, but there was just something about the older woman that screamed “perfect mom” to Brett. Letting her come into the house, Cindy handed her the bag she had brought with her.

“You have underwear and some clothes I hope will fit. I also put some books, crayons, coloring books, and a booster seat in there as well.”

Sylvie looked down at the bag, in awe that Cindy would do something like that for her and Matt, especially in the limited amount of time she had raising her own kids. Grinning, Sylvie looked at Cindy.

“So, I take it you want to meet Tessa?”

Cindy just nodded, so Sylvie led her into the kitchen, where Tessa was eating her fourth pancake.

“Tessa, this is mine and Matt’s friend, Miss Cindy. Can you come thank her for bringing all these cool things to you?”

All it took was Tessa seeing the coloring book for her to jump off her chair and run to Cindy, giving the older woman the biggest hug her little arms could. “Thank you!” Tessa said excitedly.

Picking the child up and putting her on her hip, Cindy used her free hand to wipe some of the flour off of Tessa’s cheek. “Anytime sweetheart. And if you are around for a while, we will let you come to our house and play with our kids. I have 4 boys and 1 girl, and I am sure they all would love to meet you.”

Sylvie watched as Tessa’s eyes sparkled at the mention of other kids, before she felt a sense of dread come over her. _Tessa is going to be in Arizona before too much longer._ For a moment, Sylvie wondered how Matt coped with losing Louie after having him for as long as he did. She knew she was going to be heartbroken when Tessa left them, and they had only known her less than 24 hours.

_______________

Matt arrived at CFD Plaza for his meeting with Sarah Blake. He certainly didn’t expect anyone to congratulate him on the save from yesterday, but it was like CFD headquarters was split down the middle like political parties. Some people did come over and congratulate him, while others simply game him a smile and a nod. Others, though, looked at him with disdain, probably due to the picture that was taken of him, Sylvie, and Tessa asleep together. He wasn’t sure how such an innocent picture could be taken SO out of context, but obviously it was.

After he got to Blake’s office, she motioned for him to sit down. “I am sorry Captain.” She started out. “But it looks like I made you come down here for nothing. After the picture broke of you, your girlfriend and Tessa taking a nap, I am not sure that any of the interview requests we have will be positive. I am afraid everyone just wants to ambush you like they wanted to do the Commissioner last night.”

Matt could feel his temper growing. Not about doing interviews. He could care less about that. No, he was upset that people would assume the worst off of one picture. “Whatever you say Blake. You know I wasn’t looking forward to doing press anyway.” He paused, trying to find the right words. “But just so you know, it pisses me off that everyone just assumes the worse by looking at one picture, when nothing could be further from the truth.”

At the end of his speech, he saw a smile form of Blake’s face. “What do you think Commissioner?”

Casey turned in his seat, finding Grissom standing behind him. “Based off of that Blake, let him do the interviews. I think our Captain Casey can hold his own.”

With Grissom’s blessing, Blake picked up the phone to schedule the interviews.

_______________

At NBC12, Kelly Weatherford was standing in the lobby waiting for Gabriela Dawson. Kelly looked at her watch, seeing her interview subject was already five minutes late. As she nervously paced on the tile floors, she hoped Dawson hadn’t changed her mind. Her interview was going to be the key to the whole series she wanted to run. Behind her, she heard the doors to the station open. Walking over, she held out her hand to one of the two women who entered. 

“Hi, I am Kelly Weatherford. We spoke on the phone.”

The blonde woman looked at the reporter with a curt expression on her face. “You didn’t speak with me. My name is Christie Jordan. I am Matt Casey’s sister. This is Gabby Dawson.”

Turning toward the other woman, Kelly let her mouth hang open as she shook Dawson’s hand. Sensing the reporter didn’t know what was happening, Gabby filled her in.

“Nice to meet you, Kelly. I was talking to Christie after your phone call, and she has some things she would like to add too.”

_______________


	72. Damage Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Sylvie have to decide how to deal with the actions of a few.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 72! This story just crossed 15,600 hits, which is just incredible. Thanks to all of you who have been reading this story! We have a few more chapters in this arc, with one of them being a little longer than normal. Hope you enjoy!

Sylvie and Cindy were having coffee as they watched Tessa color a page out of the coloring book Cindy had brought. They were talking about life, work, relationships, and even kids. Sylvie hadn’t seen it before, but over the last thirty minutes it began to dawn on her. _Cindy reminds me of my mom._

Sylvie was about to respond to a question about foster parenting when she heard her phone ring. Excusing herself, she ran over and grabbed it off the table. When she turned it over, she was surprised to see it was Violet.

“Hey Violet. How are you?”

Immediately, Sylvie knew something was wrong as Violet was talking so fast she couldn’t understand her.

“Violet sweetie. Calm down and say that again.”

Taking a breath, Violet spoke slower this time. “You and Uncle Matt need to know something. Mom and Gabby left a little while ago to head down to a TV station to do an interview.”

It took a moment for Sylvie to grasp what Violet said, but when it hit her, she immediately understood. “Is this about your Uncle and the press from yesterday?”

“Yes.” Violet replied. “Mom didn’t know I was home, so I overheard her talking to Aunt Gabby on the phone. It sounds like they want to tell this reporter lady that Uncle Matt shouldn’t be a firefighter for some reason. It sounded like they were also saying something about you, but I couldn’t make out that part.”

Feeling her cheeks redden in anger, Sylvie knew she had to call Matt. “Violet, let me go call your Uncle Matt and tell him this. Thank you SO much for letting me know though.”

Right before Sylvie disconnected, she heard Violet say one more thing. “Okay, I am going to head over to your place now. I don’t want to stay here anymore.”

____________________

Blake and Casey had his two interviews set, both for tomorrow. He had his instructions to wear his dress uniform and to expect at least one of the interviewers to be hostile towards him. Right as he was getting up to leave, he saw Sylvie calling him.

“Excuse me Blake. Syl, you okay?”

“No baby. Violet just called. She said that Gabby AND your sister are doing some interview with a reporter today at a TV station. Matt, Violet was really worried, and I don’t have a good feeling about this.”

Matt could feel the urge to punch something growing within him. He quickly said goodbye before he turned to Blake.

“Blake, we may have a bigger problem. Seems like my ex-wife AND my sister are meeting with some TV reporter to do an interview TODAY. From the looks of it, they are going to say some very negative stuff about me.”

Blake let her head fall to her desk. “Damnit. Why can’t I catch a break for once? You go home and let me see if I can find out what is going on, and if I can stop it.”

_________________

As soon as Matt was outside Blake’s office, he punched the number for his sister. As he waited for her to answer, he nervously paced around the hallway. He knew his sister had always liked Gabby, but enough to choose his ex-wife over him? As soon as she answered, he could hear the uncertainty in her voice.

“Hello, Matt?”

Matt took a breath before speaking, afraid he was going to cuss her out if he didn’t. “Christie, I know what you are doing. I am not sure why you would side with Gabby over me, but you need to know if you go through with what you are getting ready to do, that will permanently end any relationship we have.”

After the last word, he disconnected the call.

Christie was sitting in makeup at the TV studio, feeling all the color drain from her face. _What AM I doing?_ She asked herself. In her heart, she knew she always worried about her baby brother getting hurt or dying from being a fireman, but was that worry enough to lose him forever? If there was one thing she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, it was that Matt meant everything he had just said.

Finding her footing, she stood up and turned towards Kelly Weatherford. “I’m sorry, I can’t do this interview.”

Kelly was shocked, as was Gabby, but Christie turned her sights on her former sister-in-law next. “And Gabby, you shouldn’t do this either. You are just hurt because Matt didn’t follow you to Puerto Rico, but that shouldn’t be enough to potentially ruin Matt’s career or Sylvie in the process.”

With that said, Christie grabbed her purse and ran out of the studio.

__________________

Casey stood there, not understanding how everything unraveled so quickly from yesterday. Deciding to control what he could, he headed over to Grissom’s office, asking his secretary if he was in. After she called back to the Commissioner, Matt was allowed to enter.

“Commissioner.” Matt said quickly.

“What’s on your mind Captain?” Grissom asked, definitely less happy than he was yesterday.

“I wanted to nominate Lieutenant Severide for a commendation. Both of us know, and the video shows, that both myself and Tessa would probably have died if it wasn’t for him. I don’t know where you stand on this, sir, but I think Chief Bodden would agree with my assessment.”

Leaning back in his leather office chair, Grissom studied Captain Matthew Casey. He had never been sure about Wallace Bodden as a person, but whatever he did as a leader obviously worked. “I will take that under advisement, Captain.”

Knowing his time was up, Casey turned and ran towards his truck. The only place he wanted to be was home with Sylvie and Tessa, protecting them from the shit show that his life had become.

__________________

Kelly Weatherford tried to reason with the woman, cajole her, whatever she could. Hell, she practically bribed her at one point. None of it worked, as she watched Gabriela Dawson follow Christie Jordan out of the studio.

“SHIT!” She yelled at the top of her lungs, not caring if anyone heard her. What had started as such a promising day was now falling apart, right in front of her. Not knowing what else to do, she picked up the phone and called Sarah Blake of CFD Media Relations. _Maybe I could bluff my way out of this_.

After not receiving an answer, Kelly left the other woman a voicemail.

“Sarah, Kelly Weatherford of NBC12 News. I have two individuals who just got done filming a segment about one Captain Matthew Casey. If you would like to respond, or better yet, have Captain Casey come down to the station and agree to an exclusive interview himself, I would be happy to discuss some damage control with you. Please call me back.”

Throwing her cell phone down, she stomped out to head to a bar. Not caring that it was still morning, she knew she needed a drink to calm her nerves.

_______________


	73. Unexpected Visitors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Sylvie's house have an unexpected visitor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 73! This is the last chapter of this arc, with one surprise still left for you all tomorrow. I appreciate all of your comments, which I try to always reply to. In addition, your kudos and continued support make writing this fanfic so much fun. Hope you enjoy!

When Sylvie heard a call pull up the house, she was sure it was Matt. Running to the door, she found an older woman on the other side, dressed in a business suit. For a second, Brett worried she had just opened the door on someone from the press, but was relieved when the woman introduced herself.

“Hi, I am Yvette Anderson. I am with Child Protective Services.”

Sylvie shook the woman’s hand, but stepped outside and closed the door to the house before letting her in.

“Mrs. Anderson, did you hear back from Tessa’s family in Arizona?”

Yvette looked directly at Brett, her face stoic. “We did.”

For a moment, Sylvie felt like time stopped, as she waited to hear what Tessa’s family said. It was only when she got the rest of the story, did Brett feel her eyes fill with tears.

___________________

As Matt was driving back to Sylvie and Tessa, his phone rang. He could see it was Christie, so he hit the speaker button so he could talk and focus on driving as well.

“Christie, tell me what happened?” Matt asked her.

There was a pause on the other end of the line before he heard his sister. “Matt, I didn’t do the interview. You were right. I should NEVER have picked Gabby over you. I am sorry.”

Feeling a sense of relief wash over him, Matt knew that he had somehow managed to dodge one bullet. “And Gabby?”

“No Matt, she didn’t do the interview either. She is here with me in the car.”

Considering what to do next, Matt drummed his thumb on the steering wheel. “Can you put her on please?”

He could hear Christie telling Gabby he wanted to talk to her, and then the sound of the phone transferring to her. When she said hello to him, it took all he could not to cuss her out.

“Gabby…why would you even consider doing this to me?”

There was silence on the other end of the line, only broken up by the noise of Gabby breathing. When she spoke, he listened intently to her.

“Matt, you hurt me. First, you tell me you aren’t in love with me anymore, and then I find out you are with Brett? When that reporter called, I just wanted to hurt you like you did me.”

Blowing out a breath, Matt tried to remain calm. “Gabby, I only started dating Sylvie a couple of months ago. None of this has anything to do with you. I won’t bring up the whole part about you leaving me again, but Brett was there for me while I tried to come to grips with you divorcing me, and then I had the opportunity to be there for her while she went through some things. Whatever happens between you and me in the future, I will NOT apologize for falling in love with Sylvie Brett.”

Not even wanting to continue the conversation any further, Matt disconnected the phone. He did read out a text to Sarah Blake, letting her know what happened to the interview he mentioned to her. With that done, he threw his phone on the passenger’s seat. The only thing he wanted to focus on was Sylvie and Tessa, and getting home to them to enjoy the rest of his day.

_________________

After reading Casey’s text, Sarah Blake returned Kelly Weatherford’s call.

“Kelly, sorry I missed your call.”

Weatherford tried to gather her thoughts, as she had already downed two scotches that were starting to hit her. “Sarah, thanks for calling. Like I said, I had, um, did two interviews today on your hero, and wanted to see if you wanted to have him interview with me to give him a chance to rebut the charges leveled against him?”

Trying not to laugh, Blake replied gently. “Oh, that’s okay Kelly. Captain Casey already has two interviews scheduled for tomorrow and I really don’t think we can fit in another one. Thanks though!”

When Kelly Weatherford heard the phone disconnect, she yelled to the empty bar. “SHHIIITTT!”

______________

When Matt pulled up to his house, he was surprised to see three other cars there. One was Violet’s he knew, but the other two were mysteries. Worried that the press had found out where he lived, he ran inside the house. When he opened the front door, he was surprised to see it full of woman.

Violet was sitting in the kitchen with Tessa, coloring some pages from a coloring book. Cindy Hermann was sitting beside Sylvie on the couch, holding one of Brett’s hands in hers and patting it gently. Across from them in a chair was an African American woman Matt had never seen. As soon as he saw the tears in Sylvie’s eyes, he rushed over and sat beside her. 

“Sylvie, what’s wrong?”

Brett turned to Matt, a blank expression on her face. “It’s about Tessa’s family.”

Matt turned to look at the woman across from him. Standing up he reached for her hand, seeing the CPS badge on her jacket. “Matt Casey.”

“Yvette Anderson, Mr. Casey. I was just speaking with Ms. Brett and explaining to her that Tessa’s family in Arizona called and informed us that they won’t be coming to pick her up.”

Looking over at Sylvie, Matt tried to control his emotions. “Does this mean….”

Sylvie nodded back at him, her smile forming. “We get to keep fostering Tessa if we want.”

Falling to his knees in front of Brett, Matt caught Sylvie as her arms flew around his neck. “I can’t believe it baby. We get to keep Tessa in our lives.”

Squeezing her tightly, Matt let go only long enough to sit beside her again. Just then, Yvette broke in.

“I am sorry to have to do this, but I do have one question. Since both of you work on the same shift at Chicago Fire, what plans do you have for the minor while you two are at work?”

Sylvie looked at Matt confused, worry lines forming on her forehead. Matt had no clue what to say, as he was still trying to wrap his mind around Tessa staying with them. Just then, Cindy broke in.

“Uh, Mrs. Anderson, I am going to keep Tessa while Casey and Brett are at work.”  
___________________

The next thirty minutes were a blur. Matt and Sylvie had to sign some forms, while Cindy sat in the kitchen with Tessa and Violet. When they were done, Yvette added one additional thing.

“The City of Chicago thanks you two for taking this little girl into your home. If you decide you want to explore adoption later, please just give me a call at my office.”

After Yvette handed them her card, Matt walked her to the door, still shell shocked by this turn of events. When he closed the door, he turned to look at Sylvie hugging Tessa. 

_We get to keep her with us,_ he thought.

Sylvie returned Tessa to her seat, and walked towards the steps, grabbing Matt’s hand. “Come with me.”

Practically pulling Matt up the steps, she got him in their bedroom before she closed the door behind them. He thought she might want to talk, but when he felt her kiss him strongly, he returned the kiss with everything he had in him. When they broke the kiss a minute later, she pulled his body to hers as tightly as she could.

“I know we have a lot to talk about baby, but I just wanted you to know how much I love you.”

___________________

A few minutes after they had gone up the steps, Matta and Sylvie came back down them, surprised to see Tessa on Cindy’s hip again.

“Cindy, thank you for what you said earlier.” Matt stated, in awe of his friend’s wife.

Waving him off, she grabbed the bag she had brought. “Well, you can thank me tomorrow. Right now, I am taking Tessa home with me to meet the kids and get used to spending the night at our house. I just got a call from Christopher that you two are to report to Molly’s promptly at 7pm.”

Sylvie looked at Matt, not understanding what was happening. When she saw Cindy was serious, she walked over and took Tessa into her arms.

“Now you be good for Miss Cindy, pumpkin. We will see you first thing tomorrow morning. You are going to be staying with us, so why don’t we plan on going shopping when we get you tomorrow? You are going to need some clothes as it is getting ready to get cold.”

Feeling Tessa squeeze her tightly, Sylvie turned to Matt. He could see how much Sylvie already loved Tessa, so he took the child and hugged her as well. Whispering in her ear, Matt said. “That’s right Tessa. You get to live here with me and Sylvie. Do you think you would like that?”

When Tessa nodded her head quickly, Matt kissed her forehead. “We will miss you tonight little one, but will see you first thing tomorrow morning.

___________________


	74. Why are we at Molly's?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Sylvie spend the day together, capped off by some big news at Molly's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 74! This chapter concludes this arc, and will take us forward into the next chapters of the story. As always, your continued reading, comments, and kudos are very much appreciated. Hope you enjoy!

Matt thanked Violet for calling them, filling her on what happened with his sister and ex-wife, as Sylvie and Cindy packed up Tessa’s limited items. “I just want you to know how much I appreciate what you did for us Violet.”

As Violet hugged her Uncle, she replied. “Anytime Uncle Matt. I may see you tomorrow too.”

Confusion crossed Matt’s face before she explained. “Mrs. Hermann said they have a spare room to rent, so I am going to take her up on her offer and rent that. I am not sure I want to stay home with Mom anymore, even though it sounds like she ended up doing the right thing.”

A few minutes later, after hugging everyone again, Matt and Sylvie watched Cindy, Violet, and Tessa all head to the Hermann’s house. After they drove off, Sylvie leaned against Matt.   
  
“Babe, we have so much planning we need to do.”

__________________

The rest of the morning was spent making lists of everything they would need to get for Tessa. Clothes, toiletries, shots, a pediatrician…the list seemed endless. From mundane to immediate, by lunchtime they had a good plan together. Since they were alone, for what could be the last time for a while, Matt took Sylvie out to lunch, the two of them determined to enjoy being a couple for the rest of the day.

“Babe, what do you think is going on at Molly’s tonight?”

Shaking his head, Matt replied. “I have no clue Sylvie. If not for last week, I would have said Kidd and Severide, but now I don’t know.”

Sitting at the booth after they ate, Matt filled Sylvie in on his conversation with Christie, his interviews that were scheduled for tomorrow, as well as his conversation with Grissom. A little before 2pm, Matt drove them home through the overcast Chicago weather.

The entire time they were out, they had both avoided the elephant in the room.

The potential to adopt Tessa.

___________________

About 10 minutes before 7pm, Matt led Sylvie into Molly’s. He regretted not brining an umbrella from the house, because it looked like they were going to need it when they left. Not letting go of Brett’s hand, Matt led them to the bar.

“What can I get you two?” Hermann asked happily. When al of 51 gathered at Molly’s, it was always a good night for the company coffers, so Christopher was in a very good mood.

“Jus the usual Hermann.” Sylvie replied, while Matt looked around the bar, trying to figure out why they were there. After they got their drinks, they walked over and set at the same booth as Severide and Kidd.

“You two getting married tonight?” Matt asked jokingly. “Trying to figure out why else we would all be back at Molly’s so soon.”

Kidd and Severide shared a laugh at their friend’s comment. “Nope, not us this time.” Kidd replied. Just then, Bodden stood on a table, trying to get everyone’s attention.

“Everyone! If I may have your attention.” The Chief yelled. When everyone calmed down, he continued. “We are back at Molly’s tonight to celebrate two matters of significance. First, we all would like to congratulate Brett and Casey on officially becoming Tessa’s foster parents.”

For a second, everyone from 51 was silent, shocked by the news. Their shock quickly turned to congratulations, however. Severide stood up and hugged both Matt and Sylvie.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Severide asked.

Looking over at Sylvie, Matt answered as honestly as he could. “It just happened this morning. We are still trying to wrap our heads around it ourselves.”

For the next 15 minutes, Matt and Sylvie got hugged and patted on the back, much like their co-workers had at their engagement announcement. When things settled down, Bodden got back up on the table. “Okay everyone, now for the second matter of significance tonight. I would like to inform all of you, that our very own Captain Matthew Casey and Lieutenant Kelly Severide will be receiving commendations for their heroism in our last call, two weeks from now at 51.”

This time, it was Casey’s turn to be surprised. He looked over at Severide, and then at Bodden as he approached them, not understanding. 

“How did this happen?” Casey asked.

Laughing, the Chief grabbed hold of each of their shoulders. “Well Casey, it seems like you nominated Severide for a commendation, while Severide nominated you. And to go along with that, I nominated both of you.”

Matt shook Severide’s hand, both men sharing a look of appreciation at the other. Then after they broke, they both turned to get hugged by the women they loved.

The rest of the night was a blur, as drinks and congratulations flowed generously. Sylvie learned Cindy had told Hermann about Tessa, who in turn told the Chief. There were plans already underway to throw Tessa a “Welcome to 51” shower. Cindy, Donna, Kidd and Lin’s attempt to create a foster adoption shower. 

Around 9pm, Sylvie pushed Matt into a corner of the bar, away from the crowd. As soon as her lips met, she opened her mouth, allowing his tongue to find hers. Their kiss was short, but intense. When they broke apart, Sylvie smiled up at Matt.

“I love our friends and co-workers.” She said giggling.

Matt laughed. “I do too, but it’s about time to ditch them so I can take you home.”

All it took was a nod from Sylvie, and he grabbed her hand to lead her through the throng of people at Molly’s. As they got to the front door a few minutes later, Matt pushed the door open, seeing the pouring rain outside. He looked over his shoulder at Sylvie, his girlfriend not seeming to mind about the rain.

“I don’t care about a little rain, babe. Not when I have you and Tessa in my life.”

With that, she grabbed his hand and pulled him out in the rain. They were parked about thirty feet away, but Sylvie was content to lead, using her hand to pull Matt along.

At that moment, Matt knew. Everything was perfect.

As Sylvie walked, she felt Matt’s hand slip from hers. When she turned around, she was about to make fun of him for not being able to keep up. It was then that she saw him there, on the sidewalk, on one knee.

“Sylvie Brett.” Matt said loudly, trying to be heard over the rain. “I love you and the life we have together so much. Please say you will marry me and let me spend the rest of my life loving you.”

Standing there, in the pouring rain, Sylvie ran her hands over her wet hair, pushing it back from her face. She wanted to remember this image for the rest of her life. The man she loved on one knee, in the pouring rain, working to grab something out of his pocket. When she saw the ring appear, her answer was obvious.

“Yes Matt! Of course I will marry you!”

Reaching for her hand, Matt placed the engagement ring on her left hand, her right hand coming to rest over her mouth as she took it in. Matt stood up and wrapped his arms around her, feeling the warmth from her body comfort him against the cold rain. After a few seconds, he pulled his head back, finding her lips ready for his.

There, in the middle of a sidewalk, in the pouring rain, Matt and Sylvie kissed and held each other, for once that day not worrying about the rest of the world.


	75. Engaged

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Sylvie are officially engaged, leading to a night alone for the two of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 75. This chapter is pure smut, but seems right given Matt and Sylvie's engagement. As always, thank you for your continued reading, comments and kudos. The story will pick up time in the next few chapters, so hold tight. Hope you enjoy!

Matt and Sylvie stood there in the rain, lost in each other, until Matt saw Sylvie start to shiver. 

“Let me get you home.” He said, taking her hand and leading her towards his truck.

“Don’t you want to tell everyone about our engagement babe?”

Shaking his head, Matt pulled Brett beside him. “That can wait until shift. Tonight, you are ALL mine.”

Opening his truck door for her, Brett hopped in, feeling goose bumps raise on her arm. Not from the cold, but simply by the way Matt looked at her when he said she “was his tonight”. Even though they had sex numerous times before, it always sent a thrill through her body to know how much he desired her. If she was honest with herself, she would admit she was pretty, but she certainly didn’t have the body of some model, or even someone like Ashton Roberts. Even knowing that, Matt looked at her as if she was the sexiest woman on the planet. Seeing him look at her like that, only made her love him, and desire him, even more.

Navigating the downpour, as well as the puddles on the street, Matt pulled up into their driveway twenty minutes later. He shut off his engine and got out, walking around to open her door for him. Since they were already soaking wet, they didn’t run into the house, but instead walked hand in hand as if it were a normal day. As soon as they entered the house and locked the door, that all changed.

Matt turned towards her, right at the moment she pushed him against the door. Brett wanted, no needed, all of Casey. Her lips found his, his mouth already open. As their tongues danced together, Matt pushed Sylvie’s jackets off her shoulder. As soon as hers was off, she did the same thing for him. Matt broke the kiss as he grabbed the bottom of Sylvie’s sweater, pulling the rain soaked garment over her head. After he had discarded it into the growing stack of wet clothes on the floor, Sylvie nibbled on his ear.

“You know what I get to do tonight Matt, since Tessa isn’t here?”

Running his hands up Brett’s side, Matt moaned at the heat she spoke in his ear. “What is that Syl?”

Grinning, Sylvie, let her tongue enter his ear for a second before answering. “I get to be as LOUD as I want.”

The way she purred the word “loud” almost caused Matt to rip what remaining clothes she had off of her. Instead, he decided to call her bluff. “Oh really Sylvie? We will just have to see how loud I can make you get.”

They stood there, looking at each other, knowing what they both wanted. The next moments were nothing but the two of them throwing off their own clothes, not content with the speed the other was going. As they both stood there naked, Matt looked down at his fiancé. “God, you are sexy.” He gasped, taking in her beauty. Reaching for her hand, he started to head upstairs toward their bedroom, only to have her pull him back to her. Jumping, she wrapped her legs around his waist.

“No bed yet. Fuck me here baby.”

That was all Matt needed to hear, as he moved her to the wall, letting her fall onto his manhood. As soon as he was inside her, she looked at him, seeing his desire for her.

“Make me cum Matt. Give me a baby tonight.”

As he started thrusting, he smashed his lips against hers. As the moved in unison, Sylvie cried out, reaching for any piece of support she could, only finding their coat rack. Grabbing it with both hands, she let herself fall, mirroring his movements. After a few minutes, she screamed out when she saw fireworks, feeling her body contract around him. As she came down off her high, she noticed Matt was still hard inside of her.

Kissing him deeply, Sylvie smiled when they broke apart.

“Now you can take me to bed. I want you to make love to me all night.”

_______________

All night ended up being midnight, after Matt came for the second time as she had her fifth. Rolling off of him, she laughed as they both grasped for breath.

“Sylvie, that was…amazing.” Matt said between gasps.

Sylvie turned on her side, looking at her future husband. “Yes it was Matt. Maybe we can convince Cindy to take Tessa one night a month so you can make love to me like you just did. Holy shit babe, you are incredible.”

Matt rolled onto his side, leaning over to kiss her gently. As Sylvie ran her hand through Matt’s hair on the side of his head, she saw him drift off to sleep. Content with everything in her life. She followed him into a deep slumber.

Sylvie woke up at 2am, needing to use the restroom. When she came back, she stood in the doorway taking him in. He was asleep on his back, the sheet completely off of him. Even after their lovemaking, he was hard again, something that Sylvie was still getting used to. Remembering what Matt had said a few weeks ago about taking her while she was asleep, she could feel her excitement grow at the thought. Trying not to wake him, she got on top of him, letting herself fall on him, feeling what she swore was steel inside of her.

As she rocked herself on him, she couldn’t stifle her moans, as she felt herself getting closer to another orgasm. Right when she was on the edge, Matt started waking up, right at the moment she came. With her world crashing down around her, she let her chest fall to meet his. Not content to let her rest, he kissed her hard, as he took over, literally pushing and pulling her as he wanted. After no more than a few minutes, she knew he was close.

“Please baby…I need you so much.” Sylvie grunted.

That was all Matt needed, as he came violently, feeling every bit of his remaining energy leave his body. Sylvie kissed him once more before letting her body rest on his. Matt didn’t bother moving her off of him, enjoying the warmth of her skin on his.

As Sylvie drifted off the sleep, she began to have the weirdest feeling. A feeling that Matt had just got her pregnant.


	76. Time with Tessa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next morning, Matt heads off to do his interviews while Sylvie goes and picks up Tessa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 76! I appreciate all of you reading along with my little story, as well as commenting and sending kudos. I wanted to alert all of you that I may be slowing down to one chapter a day from my normal two, as work has picked up now and is draining my attention. If I can get two chapters up a day I certainly will, but just wanted to let all of you know ahead of time. Hope you enjoy!

The next morning Sylvie woke to find Matt beside her in bed. He had his back against the headboard, smiling down at her. “Good morning my fiancé. How did you sleep?”

Not able to contain her smile at his use of her new title of fiancé, Brett pushed off the bed, rising up to kiss him. “I slept like a rock. When you give me that many orgasms in one night, it’s hard not to.”

Matt laughed as he looked at her. He reached out his closed fist to her, holding inside it a surprise for her.

“Here you go.” Matt said happily.

Not understanding what was going on, Matt opened his hand, letting her wedding band fall into her cupped hands. She took a moment to study it, not sure exactly what she was looking at.

“That, my love, is your wedding band. Every one of those stones are the birth stones of people you consider family.”

Having memorized them, Matt went through each one with her, seeing tears well up in her eyes. “And best of all Syl, the jeweler can add more stones as we need to. Which means we can get Tessa’s birth stone put on it if you want.”

Not caring that her tears were falling down her cheeks, Sylvie pushed herself off the bed and wrapped her hands around Matt’s neck. “Babe, this is just…the most thoughtful thing I have ever seen.”

Casey smiled, happy that she liked it. “Yeah, your Mom and Dad thought you would like it too.”

Looking down at her two rings, she couldn’t think of anything that she would have liked more. She listened as Matt told her the story of how he had gotten them made for her, as well as how he had asked her parents. When he was finished, she thought about making love to him again, but knew she was too sore for any more carnal fun that morning. Instead, she pushed him towards the bathroom to get a shower before his interviews, while she called her parents.

_____________

After eating breakfast together, Matt excused himself to go get changed. Sylvie took that time to call Stephen and Kimberly, sharing the good news with them. Fifteen minutes later, when Matt came back downstairs, what Brett saw took her breath away.

“Babe, you look GOOD in your dress uniform.” She said, kicking herself for not making love to him again that morning. Matt walked over and kissed her.

“I will text you when I am done. I have a change of clothes in my bag, so I will meet you and Tessa if you two are still out shopping. Love you.”

Kissing him deeply once more, Sylvie patted his labels. “Good luck babe. I love you too. Make us proud.”

After Matt left, Sylvie headed upstairs to get changed too. As she grabbed the list she and Matt had made, something dawned on her.

_I am heading over to pick up our little girl,_ she thought, liking the way it sounded in her head. She made a mental note to feel Matt out about adopting Tessa when they had a free moment.

______________

Matt’s interviews had gone surprisingly well. The one female reporter who he was told to expect to be hostile, had actually changed her tune when he explained how Tessa crawled up to him to sleep, not long before the picture was taken. He almost called Sylvie his fiancé in that interview, only catching himself right before it came out.

After the second interview was over, Matt quickly changed clothes, anxious to meet his “girls” as they shopped. He texted Brett, finding out they were at Target. As soon as he got there, Tessa ran towards him, letting Casey scoop her off the ground.

“Hey sweetie. We missed you last night. How was Miss Cindy’s house?”

Sylvie laughed at Matt for asking the same question she had, knowing that Matt was in for Tessa telling him EVERYTHING about Cindy’s for what seemed like 10 minutes. Whatever shyness Tessa had felt at the hospital and house was clearly gone. As Tessa rambled on about Violet and each of Hermann’s kids, Matt leaned down at kissed Sylvie.

“How did the interviews go?” she asked him.

Matt set Tessa down on the ground as Sylvie held up a dress to her small frame, seeing if it would fit. “Pretty good. You can watch them tonight if you want, but I certainly won’t.”

______________

An hour later and too many shopping bags to count, Sylvie and Tessa headed to another store, while Matt left them to go the grocery store. He had gotten out of Tessa what she liked to eat, so he planned on stocking up enough food for the three of them to have dinners every night when they were home together. Family dinners were not something Matt was accustomed to growing up, but after seeing the Brett family have theirs, he understood how important they were to keep a family together.

He had just finished putting up the last of the groceries when Tessa and Sylvie came back in the house. Immediately, Matt knew something was wrong, as Sylvie was carrying Tessa, tears in both their eyes. Dropping everything in his hands, he ran over to them.

“What’s wrong Sylvie?” he asked, seeing Tessa’s cheeks and eyes red from crying. When the child saw Matt, she reached out to him, letting Casey take her from Brett. Squeezing her gently, Matt looked down at Sylvie.

“Babe, Tessa is just sad because she saw a car that was just like her Mom and Dad’s on the way home.”

Moving over to the couch, Matt sat down with the crying child still in his arms, Sylvie sitting beside them. As Sylvie ran her hand through Tessa’s hair, it broke his heart to see the child upset like this. He knew there was nothing he could do to fix her issue, so he and Sylvie just held her, whispering to her that they would always be there for her.

After a few minutes, Tessa drifted off to sleep, tired from her crying. Matt turned to look at Sylvie, seeing her eyes still red with tears too.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there Syl. I hate you had to go through that alone.”

Sylvie gently kissed Tessa’s forehead. “It’s okay babe. We both knew she would have good and bad moments, and I have got to be ready for both.”

Seeing his fiancé chew on her lip, Matt waited, knowing there was more. When she spoke, he could instantly see the earnestness in her eyes.

“Matt, I know we haven’t talked about it, but I really want us to adopt Tessa.”  
  



	77. Announcements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a long night with Tessa, Matt and Sylvie make some announcements.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 77! Thanks to all of you for kind comments. I will do my best to get at least one chapter a day up. This chapter is a bit of a transition chapter, and takes us into the next big arc. As always, love reading your thoughts about how this story is going. Hope you enjoy!

The next morning, after dropping Tessa off a Cindy’s, Matt and Sylvie drove to work in silence. They had stayed up late the night before after Tessa had gone to bed, discussing adopting the little girl. Both exhausted from comforting the poor girl, they both still agreed adopting her was what they wanted. Therefore, Matt planned to call the Social Worker that day while they were at work to get the paperwork started.

With that said, there was still a small piece of Casey that worried one of your family members in Arizona was going to change their mind and come to Chicago to claim Tessa. He hated to admit it, but he had told Sylvie, that the whole Louie situation still haunted him when it came to Tessa. Even though he tried to push it out of his mind, it always seemed to find a way to worm its way back in.

As Matt parked the truck, he glanced over at Sylvie, watching as she chewed on her lip. “Sylvie, what’s up?”

Knocking her out of her daydream, Sylvie blushed as she turned towards him. “Nothing babe. I just wanted to make sure that us trying to adopt Tessa didn’t change our plans to have our own baby. I know we didn’t talk about that last night, so I just wanted to check.”

Leaning across his console, Matt drew Brett to him, their lips meeting softly. “Not at all Syl, though I would like us to get married before you get pregnant.”

Breaking the kiss, Sylvie hopped out of the truck, reaching for Matt’s hand as she walked to the station.

_Oh well,_ she thought, _because I still have a funny feeling you got me pregnant the other night._

_______________

As soon as Brett got into the locker room, she quickly took off her engagement ring before anyone could see it, putting it in her work pant’s pocket. Matt had told her that he had a plan to tell everyone, but wanted her to hide the ring until then. As she walked out of the locker room, she passed Stella.

“Hey girl! How is Tessa doing?”

Not able to hide her smile, Sylvie pulled Kidd into the corner of the locker room. “She had a tough day yesterday, but I have news…Matt and I are going to try to adopt her.”

Kidd threw her arms around her friend, hugging her tightly. “Brett, that is awesome! I am so happy for you two.”

Smiling, Sylvie left her friend to change while she walked to roll call.

_Oh Stella, I have even more news than that,_ Sylvie thought, chuckling to herself.

_____________

As Brett passed by the Chief’s office, she saw Matt meeting with Bodden. Seeing that, she headed to the kitchen to grab some breakfast for the two of them. A few minutes later, Casey came out to find her.

“Hey babe.” Sylvie whispered. “I just wanted to let you know that I let Kidd know about our plans to try to adopt Tessa.”

Matt nodded, appreciating her use of the word “try”. “That’s okay, I will probably tell Severide as well.”

They sat together, eating breakfast and talking about their plans for the rest of the rest of the week. Casey let her know he had a customer meeting right after shift was over, needing to get his construction business back in gear. Even though the state would send them some money each month for Tessa, he knew their budget was going to take a hit going from two to three as quickly as it had. Hearing that, Brett let him know she might take Tessa to Rockford to meet Amelia.

With those plans in place, they both headed into roll call, Matt having to make a concerted effort to NOT grab Sylvie’s hand.

_______________

“Okay everyone.” Bodden said loudly at the start of the meeting. “Casey has an announcement he would like to make.”

Walking to the front of the room, Casey could feel his smile growing. When he got to the spot where Bodden normally stood, he started.

“Everyone, I just wanted to take a minute to thank all of you. You were the first people to know about Brett and me, and your support means the world to us. Because of that, we wanted to share something with you.”

Pausing, Matt looked over at a surprised Brett, winking at her. Seeing that, Sylvie pulled her ring out of her pocket.

“I asked Sylvie to marry me the other night, and she said yes!”

Standing up quickly, Sylvie slipped her ring on, holding it out for everyone to see. The two of them were quickly surrounded by their work family, who hugged and congratulated them. After five minutes of hugs and handshakes, Bodden took back over. 

“All right, all right. So, it looks like we not only have one, but now have TWO weddings coming up in the near future. Anyone else have any big news to share.?”

Sylvie glanced back at Matt, standing in the back talking to Severide. When he nodded, she stood up. “Uh, yes Chief. Matt and I just wanted to let all of you know that we are going to try to adopt Tessa.”

______________

The rest of the morning was a blur for both Casey and Brett. Each one had other members of 51 come over to them, congratulating them and offering their services for whatever they needed. Whether it be babysitting, wedding planning, or just help in general. Severide and squad even offered to spend an entire off day over at the house helping Casey with renovations, knowing that with a child in the house, things needed to get done sooner rather than later.

After lunch, Brett was sitting on Casey’s cot while he worked on paperwork.

“Babe, can I just say that I love our friends. We are so blessed to have an entire second family at work who would offer to help us the way they did. It’s just awesome.”

Casey put his pen down, turning to look at his fiancé. “Speaking of blessed honey, none of this would have been possible without you.” Sylvie could see Matt choking up a little as he continued. “Thank you for giving me the life I always wanted Syl…I love you more than I ever thought possible.”

Seeing how choked up Matt was, Sylvie felt her eyes start to water too. She was about to say something when Matt continued.

“Oh, by the way, I wanted to talk to you about something. I think you need to find a church for all of us to go to. I want Tessa to grow up to be just as sweet and caring as you are.”

____________


	78. Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Matt and Sylvie settle into a routine with Tessa, Brett starts to deal with a new problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 78! Sorry it has taken me so long to post this, but work is crazy right now. This chapter starts to really pick up on our next arc. Hope you enjoy!

The next morning after shift, Matt drove Sylvie over to Cindy’s house to pick up Tessa. He knew he didn’t have a lot of time, but they did want to speak to the young girl about Matt’s phone call with the Social Worker.

As Sylvie got Tessa buckled into her booster seat, Matt started.

“So Tessa, Sylvie and I wanted to talk to you about something.”

Brett sat beside Tessa, letting her hand rest on the little girl’s tummy, their smiles matching, as Matt continued.

“We wanted to know how you would feel about us adopting you?”

The little girl scrunched up her face, looking up at Brett. “What does adoption mean?” she asked.

“Well pumpkin, it means that you would live with Matt and me from now on. You would officially become our daughter.”

Looking over, Matt caught Sylvie chewing on her lip, her nervousness getting the better of her. “That’s right sweetie, do you think you would like that?” Casey asked.

Tessa seemed to ponder that question, her expression endearing both Matt and Sylvie to her. They could tell her little four year old brain was spinning. “Would I have to call you Mommy and Daddy.”

Sylvie looked up at Matt, surprised by the question. As she tried to formulate an answer, Matt made one for her. “No sweetie. We both know you had a Mommy and Daddy, so you can keep calling us Matt and Sylvie, or whatever else you would like.”

Casey’s answer brought an exaggerated nod from the young girl, causing all three of them to laugh. After a moment, Sylvie broke in. “Well that is VERY good to hear pumpkin. Because Matt and I definitely want you to stay with us. We would miss you SO much if you weren’t here.”

As soon as Matt pulled into the driveway and stopped, Sylvie unbuckled Tessa. The child reached up and hugged both of them. “I think one day I might want to call you Mommy and Daddy, but not right now.”

_______________

As Matt changed into his work clothes, Brett packed her and Tessa up for their road trip. She planned to just stay at Scott’s house that night, since Tessa was really excited about meeting Sylvie’s little sister. Knowing he had to hurry to make his appointment, Matt hugged Tessa tightly before turning to Sylvie.

“I am going to miss you Syl. You be careful…remember, you two are the most important things in the world to me.”

As Sylvie kissed him gently, she couldn’t help but feel there might be a total of three important things in her car.

________________

Casey came home a little before 9pm, exhausted from his work day. He knew he needed to get the job he had been contracted to do finished, and it helped not having to hurry home to Sylvie and Tessa. With that said, when Matt walked into the house, he immediately felt the weight of being alone. Gone was Sylvie’s beautiful smile and the sound of Tessa’s feet as she ran around the house. Grabbing his phone, he hit the call button by Sylvie’s name. As he waited for her to answer, he looked in the fridge for something to eat.

“Hey baby. Are you just now getting home?” Sylvie asked.

“Yeah, I wanted to get that job finished today, so I stayed late to get it done. I will tell you, though, this house feels really empty without you and Tessa here.”

Over the next ten minutes, Matt heard all about how big Amelia was getting, as well as from Tessa on her day. After he told them he loved them, he made and ate a sandwich. When that was done, he dragged his tired body up to their bedroom to take a shower. As he fell onto their bed, he looked over at Sylvie’s side.

_God I miss her,_ he thought.

Reaching for the phone on his nightstand, he sent her a quick text. 

Matt: Let’s NOT make a habit of sleeping apart. I miss you too much.

It took a few moments for Sylvie to reply, but when she did, the grin he had wouldn’t go away.

Sylvie: I miss you too Babe. But, I promise when I get home tomorrow to make it up to you….and I mean sexually.

Laying the phone back on his nightstand, he dreamt all night about all the different ways Sylvie could make it up to him.

______________

After a few weeks, Matt, Sylvie and Tessa settled into a good routine. Severide and the rest of Squad had not only come over once, but three times, to help him finish the house. At this point, almost everything on the inside was done, and the outside renovations would have to wait until next spring, since the weather had already turned cold. They were actually already calling for snow, something that made Sylvie nervous. She didn’t mind driving herself in the snow, but knowing she was driving her AND Tessa sometimes, she admitted to Matt it worried her.

Something else was worrying Matt. Sylvie seemed to be off. She was still happy most of the time, but he found her more often than not asleep, or at the very least tired. Even though she had DEFINITELY made it up to him for her trip to Rockford, it seemed that since than their sex life had disappeared. He had tried to ask her what was wrong, but the only response he got was that she was tired.

For Sylvie, her tiredness went back to her belief she was pregnant. But when she took a drugstore pregnancy test, it came back negative. On top of that, she found she was sore almost all the time, whether it be in her muscles or joints, to the point that it was difficult to even do her job at 51. She knew something was wrong with her, so she scheduled an appointment with her doctor. The problem was, the earliest she could get in was a week and half away, which meant she had to wait even longer to find out what was wrong. 

One day at shift, as she, Lin, and Kidd sat in the back on 61, she broke down on them.

“Brett honey, what’s wrong?” Kidd asked. Having watched her partner the last few weeks, Lin just put her hand on her partner’s shoulder, knowing whatever was going on wasn’t good. After a few moments of sobbing, Sylvie gathered herself together enough to speak.

“I don’t know. Honestly, I have no idea. I am exhausted ALL the time, and even when I am not, my body just hurts.”

Sylvie took a minute to look outside the ambulance before she continued. “And worse of all, my sex drive is absolutely gone, and trust me when I say that I can't get enough of making love to my fiancé. But right now, I honestly don’t even like him touching me, so we haven't had sex in weeks.” Brett filled them in on her upcoming appointment, as well as her negative pregnancy test.

Kidd shot Violet a concerned look, knowing her friend wouldn’t admit something like that if it wasn’t bothering her. “Brett, why don’t you go see Natalie at Med…off the record. Maybe she could give you some guidance so you don’t stress out between now and then?”

As Sylvie dried her tears, she knew her friend was right. Maybe Nat could help her. One way or the other, she needed to do something. Matt and Tessa were too important to her to not fight for an answer.  
  



	79. Ambulance 61

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sylvie's friends convince her to go to Med, while Matt stumbles onto something else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 79! This little fanfic has crossed 17,600 hits, so thanks to all of you for reading. I have decided this will be the last major arc of this story, with my fanfic probably coming to an end in the next 5-15 chapters, depending on size. As always, your comments and kudos are always appreciated. Hope you enjoy!

Kidd and Lin left Brett alone in the back of 61, heading to find Chief Bodden. They needed his permission to take the ambulance out of service, but both women knew that while their request was unusual, it was certainly warranted. Seeing Brett the way she was, they both knew something was wrong. They just needed their friend to find out what EXACTLY was going on.

As Matt walked towards the bullpen to get another cup of coffee, he saw Violet and Stella passing him. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to see they were as concerned as he was. Knowing his fiancé was probably alone, he quickly moved to the apparatus floor to see her. When he got to the back of the ambulance, he peered in through the open doors, finding Brett laying down on the gurney. She looked like she was asleep again, so he got into the vehicle as quietly as he could. Sitting down on the bench seat beside her, he reached out for her hand.

His heart immediately sunk, feeling her skin cold and clammy. “Sylvie.” He said earnestly, running his hand across her forehead, feeling his hand slide across little beads of sweat.

Sylvie opened her eyes slightly, seeing Matt looking down at her. Trying to moisten her mouth, she whispered to him as best as she could. “Babe…something is wrong.”

That was all he needed to hear, as he bounded out of the back of the vehicle. “Severide!” he yelled.

Kelly and the rest of squad looked up at Matt, hearing the stress in his voice. “Go get Lin and Kidd.” Matt ordered. “We need to get Sylvie to Med.”

Cruz bounded out of his seat, running inside to find the two women, while Severide ran over to Matt, who was already back inside the vehicle. Grabbing a blanket out of one of the drawers, he covered Brett with it.

“Syl, we are getting Lin and Kidd and we are going to take you to Med.” He said, feeling his hands shake uncontrollable. Brett barely nodded her head, but a second later turned her head away from Matt, vomiting up everything in her stomach.

“Shit!” Matt yelled behind him, seeing Severide there. “Where is Lin?” He asked nervously. For a second, Matt thought about commandeering 61 and driving Brett to Med himself, but was relieved when he heard Severide speak.

“Here they come.” His friend said.

Casey hopped out the back, seeing his two co-workers running towards him. “Kidd, you drive.” Casey said, his authoritative voice booming around the building. “Lin, you are back here with me.”

As soon as Lin climbed in the back with Casey, Severide started to close the ambo doors. “We are right behind you.” Kelly stated. Slapping the doors hard, Kidd put the vehicle in drive, gunning it out of the station.

Everyone had now gathered on the floor, coming out to see what was happening. Severide looked over at Bodden, whose orders were clear.

“Saddle up everyone! We are heading to Med.”

_______________

As everyone at 51 scrambled to their vehicle, Lin was pushing a needle to a saline drip into Brett’s arm. Looking over at Casey, she tried to find out what happened.

“I don’t know Lin.” He replied. “I saw you and Kidd come inside, so I went to check on her. When I got out here, she was cold and clammy, and sweating as well. She told me something was wrong right before she threw up.”

Violet leaned over Brett, not worrying about the terrible smell that captured her nostrils. “Brett, can you tell me what you are feeling?” she asked, without response. Putting on the blood pressure cuff, Lin hit the button to run it a cycle, as she got out her pen flashlight, opening Brett’s eyes to check them. She was just about to tell Casey they were responsive, when she heard him groaning.

“Oh god…” Matt moaned.

Lin turned to look at Matt, following his eyes to Brett’s groin area. Her work pants were wet, and she could see drops of red blood hit the sheet beneath her. Grabbing her radio, Lin keyed the channel to Med.

“Chicago Med, this is Ambulance 61. We are inbound with a 32 year old female, possible signs of miscarriage.”

Violet winced at the last part as she heard Med acknowledge her call. Glancing over at Casey, she saw tears in his eyes. Grabbing Brett’s hand, Casey laid out his heart to her.

“Sylvie, we are taking you to the hospital. You have got to be okay baby…I need you. Be strong for me and Tessa.”

Matt could feel Sylvie gently squeeze his hand, but that was the only response he got from her, except the sound of her groaning in pain. When they pulled up to Main, Casey opened the door, seeing Dr. Natalie Manning standing there. Matt and Lin got the gurney down onto the ground, which the nurses then moved inside with Lin’s help. Manning patted Casey’s shoulder

“I’ve got her Casey. I promise I won’t let anything happen to her.”

Letting his head fall to his chest, he cursed the world for a second, before quickly following their friend into the ER.

__________________

The Station Nurse stopped Casey as soon as he got inside the waiting room, not letting him go back. He could feel his anger rising, and was about to say something when Lin came back out, pushing him back towards a chair.

“Captain, they won’t let anyone back there right now, so we both need to just sit down and wait.”

She hadn’t noticed it before, but she could see Casey’s white shirt was covered in blood at the stomach. Turning around, she looked for a nurse she knew.

“Bethany!” Lin shouted, trying to get the attention of a nurse she knew. When she saw the nurse come over, she moved closer to the nurse’s station so she could speak to her in private.

“Hey Bethany, do you think we can get Captain Casey back to a bathroom so he can clean up?”

The nurse looked at the tall, strong firefighter, sitting in a chair crying. She nodded, and followed Lin over to where he sat.

“Captain,” Bethany said. “Why don’t you come with me and we will get you cleaned up.”

Matt followed the two of them without thinking. All of his thoughts were with Sylvie. 

_God, she has to be okay,_ he thought.

______________

Less than ten minutes later, Matt came back out into the waiting room dressed in surgical scrubs. His white work shirt and undershirt were both stained with blood, as were his pants. In the bathroom, he took everything off but his underwear, shoes and socks, putting his soiled garments in a bag the nurse had given him. Grabbing his phone, he had walked back out to the waiting room, walking right through it, ignoring everyone else from 51 who had arrived in his absence, until he was outside in the cold. Hitting a number he had only recently added to his contacts, he waited for his call to be answered.

“Hello?” the woman replied cheerfully.

“Um..Mrs. Brett, this is Matt. Something has happened to Sylvie.”

________________


	80. Diagnosis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt learns from Dr. Manning what is going on with Sylvie. He knows he can handle the news, but can she?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 80! Thanks for all of you who continue to follow along with my story. The end is in sight, though still a little ways off, but I have it mapped out in my head. As always, thanks for all of your wonderful comments and kudos. Hope you enjoy!

After Matt hung up with Sylvie’s Mom, he went back into the waiting room. As soon as Kidd saw him, she pulled Kelly over towards him. Wrapping her arms around Casey, Kidd tried to be reassuring.

“Captain, Brett is going to be fine. She is a fighter, so you know she will be okay.”

Severide replaced Kidd, and completely out of character, hugged his friend as well. “She’s got this Casey. I know she is going to be fine.”

The three sat down, waiting for any news on Brett. After about 30 minutes, Natalie came out to get Casey, not bothering to inform the rest of 51 what was going on. Cruz jumped up, about to question Manning about this, when Bodden stood up to face him, his gaze determined. Seeing this, Cruz immediately sat back down.

As they walked back to Brett’s exam room, Natalie filled him in on what they found out.

“I’m sorry Casey, but Brett definitely did have a miscarriage. By the amount of blood and her symptoms, our OB/GYN thinks she was probably carrying twins.” Manning paused, letting Casey digest all of that information. She could see he had been crying, and she knew this news and the next wasn’t going to be any easier to hear.

“I need you to be in the room with Brett when we tell her this. She is distraught, she is going to need your support now more than ever.”

Matt nodded as the doctor slid open the glass door. As soon as he saw her, his tears came flooding back out, matching the ones she was crying. Rushing over, he bent over her bed, feeling her arms wrap around his neck as he held her, sobs racking her body. After several minutes of no one speaking, Manning coughed to get their attention.

Matt and Sylvie looked over at Natalie as she took a seat. “Brett, I am so sorry to tell you that you suffered a miscarriage.”

Looking over at Brett, Casey could see the understanding in her eyes. As a paramedic, she probably knew what was happening before anyone else. 

“Unfortunately, there is more.” Manning stated, seeing the couple she considered friends glance at each other. “Brett, it looked like you were carrying twins, which is why your symptoms were so pronounced. Also, when our OB/GYN did his ultrasound, he said it looked like you had miscarried before.”

Sylvie’s hand flew to her mouth, fresh tears coming down her face, as she stared at Nat.

“Any idea when that might have been Brett?” Manning asked.

Not able to speak, Brett just laid there crying, as Matt ran circles on her back with his hand. When she didn’t respond, Matt ventured a guess. Leaning down to Brett’s ear, he whispered. “Was that when you and Antonio were together?”

Turning toward Casey like she had seen a ghost, Sylvie was starting to feel overwhelmed. After a few moments of thinking, Brett nodded to Casey, who relayed the information to Natalie. After Manning made a note in her chart, the doctor looked up at Brett and Casey with glassy eyes of her own.

“The good news is, you will make a full recovery.” Manning took a labored breath before she spoke again. “Sylvie, I am SO sorry to have to tell you this, but our doctor thinks that the cause of your miscarriages is due to the shape of your uterus. He will need to run more tests on you to be sure, but he feels strongly that is the reason why neither of your pregnancies took. Because of this abnormality, the chances of you carrying a baby to full term is relatively slim.”

After Manning finished, Casey stood there, not truly understanding what had just happened. He looked down at Sylvie, finding her eyes closed, tears streaming down her cheeks. Manning excused herself, leaving the two of them alone. Matt took a deep breath, and then sat on the edge of her bed.

“Sylvie, look at me.” He pleaded. After a few moments, Brett looked up at him through her tears.

Letting his own tears flow, Matt didn’t care if anyone saw him crying. “Sylvie, I love you. All that matters is that you are safe and are going to make a full recovery. I don’t care if we can’t have a baby the natural way. All I need in my life is you and Tessa, and our daughter needs you more than ever right now…I need you to understand that.”

Laying there, completely broken, Sylvie let her eyes fall from Matt’s. Just when it seemed like life was going to let her be happy with Matt and Tessa, the world threw more crap at her. Brett tried to find the words to speak, but was too tired to even think of what to say to her fiancé. Finally, she mumbled out a few words.

“I need to rest.” She said.

Nodding, Casey pulled up a chair to her bedside. Sitting down in it, he took her hand in his, lacing his fingers through hers. He had the feeling her words were meant to send him away, but he wasn’t going anywhere. Not without her.

_______________

After Manning left the room, she went out to the waiting room to find Bodden. After telling him Brett was going to be fine, she sent all of them back to 51. She knew it would be Brett’s call as to what to tell everyone, whenever she was ready.

Bodden thanked her for taking care of Brett, asking her to call him if his PIC needed anything. With that, 51 loaded up and headed back to the firehouse. As Manning grabbed another patient chart, she considered what Brett was going through right now. She had heard from Sylvie and others everything the paramedic had to deal with in the last year, and now this had been added to her plate. Nat just hoped this wouldn’t be the straw that broke her friend’s back, causing her to finally give up hope all together.

_____________

Matt let Sylvie sleep, his hand never leaving hers. He pulled out his phone, seeing a text from Carol saying that she and Frank were on their way to Chicago. He looked at the woman he loved, worry seeping into his mind. He knew more than anything that Sylvie wanted to be a mother, and he hoped that Tessa would be enough for her. He knew adoption hadn’t enough for Gabby, but he prayed with everything he had that it would be enough for Brett. He couldn’t lose her too…their life together was just getting started. They had a wedding to plan. A little girl at home to raise. He needed Sylvie to get back to her optimistic self, because seeing her the way she was now literally broke his heart in two.

Still holding her hand, Matt closed his eyes, praying for Sylvie more than he had ever prayed for himself.

______________


	81. Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Sylvie lays in the hospital bed, Matt waits for her parents to arrive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 81! This story has crossed 18,000 hits, so I wanted to thank all of you for sticking along with this VERY long ride. As always, thanks too for all the comments and kudos. It's interesting to hear what some of you think and see happening, so it makes it fun to see if your thoughts align with what is already written. Hope you enjoy!

Matt continued to hold Sylvie’s hand as she slept, remembering that it wasn’t that long ago when their roles were reversed. He could remember Sylvie holding onto his hand all night while he slept, and he promised himself he would do the same for her.

While he watched her, he continued to pray that she would be okay. Not physically. He trusted Natalie enough to know her body would be fine, but emotionally. For a woman like his fiancé, who wore her heart on her sleeve, this was just another in a long line of heartbreaks she had endured this year. He just prayed she could recover from this one.

Several hours later, he heard the sound of the glass door to her room sliding open, seeing her parents walk in. Carol walked directly to the other side of the bed from Matt, leaning over and hugging her daughter. As Sylvie woke up to her mother, Sylvie dropped Casey’s hand, wrapping both her arms around her mother. Matt could hear her sobs start to come again, as he felt his heart crack even further. Standing up, he turned and shook Frank’s hand.

“Son, how is our girl doing?” Frank asked him.

Matt scratched the back of his head, not sure whether he should tell her parents what had happened or not. Looking over his shoulder, he caught Sylvie’s gaze. “Matt, why don’t you go pick up Tessa and bring her back here to the hospital. I know Mom and Dad would like to meet their new granddaughter.”

Nodding, Casey contemplated what to do. He didn’t want to leave Sylvie, but he knew she might want to talk to her parents in private. Leaning down, he gentle kissed her forehead. “I love you Sylvie. I will be back as soon as I can.”

Standing back up, Matt let Frank take his place in the chair. He had just gotten outside the door to Brett’s room when he heard Carol call out to him. Coming up to him, the older woman wrapped him in a bear hug.

“Thank you for calling us Matt. Don’t you worry about Pumpkin…we will try to cheer her up until you and Tessa get back.”

Not able to look at Mrs. Brett, Matt let his eyes fall to his shoes. “Mrs. Brett, I am so sorry all this happened. I just love your daughter so much, but something always seems to be happening.”

Wrapping her arms back around the taller man, Carol pulled him close to her. “Matthew, I don’t know what you are apologizing for. Now, you go fetch our granddaughter. Frank and I love you too, don’t you forget that.”

With that said, Matt ran out of the hospital, ordering an Uber to get him back to his truck at the station.

________________

After watching Matt run towards the hospital exit, Carol went back into her daughter’s room, closing the door behind her. Taking her seat again, she and Frank each held one of Sylvie’s hands. “Pumpkin,” Carol started. “You have got a good man there. Matthew was apologizing to me for you being in the hospital.” After a pause, she wiped some tears off her daughter’s cheek. “Sylvie, why don’t you tell your father and me what has you so upset.”

Sylvie told them everything, not caring that she was embarrassed by the fact she had been pregnant twice by two different men. When she told her mother what the doctor said about her having children, she could see her mother tear up for a moment, before she sucked in a breath.

“I am so sorry pumpkin. I know you wanted to have children of your own someday. But all that matters now is you getting better. You have a fiancé and a daughter who I know both love you, so you just need to become the best wife and mother you can be. You know I couldn’t have children of my own either, but you and Stephen made mine and your father’s world so much better when we adopted the two of you.”

Nodding, Sylvie knew her mother would know exactly what to say to make her feel better. And she did feel better, to a point. The part her mother wasn’t getting was how this affected Matt. “I know Mom. I already love Tessa like she was my own, just like you loved me. But Mom, I am worried about Matt. He wants a baby of his own SO much. This is now the second child he has lost, and all I wanted was to give him a baby that was OURS. I know he won’t admit it, but this news had to break his heart.”

Frank got in the conversation following her statement. “Pumpkin, you don’t worry about Matt. We all have disappointments in this world, but having you and Tessa will make up for anything else he misses. He loves you…we all could see that the weekend you were home. You just need to listen to your mother and focus on getting better, and then you and your Mom can start planning your wedding.”

Sylvie laid her head back against her pillow, taking in her parent’s words. They were right, of course, Matt did love her. But how was SHE going to be able to look at him knowing she couldn’t give him the one thing he wanted most of all?

_______________

Back at 51, Matt ran back in the station, ignoring everyone, until he got to his quarters. He grabbed his truck keys and promptly turned around and ran out. He could hear Severide calling to him, but he didn’t have the strength to talk to anyone right now. All he wanted to do was get their daughter and get her back to the hospital as soon as possible.

After picking up Tessa, he apologized to Cindy for not having time to talk. After he got her buckled up in her booster seat, Matt steered his car towards the hospital.

“Pumpkin, you need to know that Sylvie is in the hospital.” Matt said, glancing over at Tessa. He could see her expression turn to worry quickly, so he spoke again. “She is going to be fine, but she wanted you to come and be with her. Also, you get to meet your Grandma and Grandpa today!”

Matt hoped the last part would override the first. It seemed to work, as she looked up at him smiling. “Grandma and Grandpa? I never had that before.”

Laughing, Matt reached out and put his hand on her stomach. “Well little one, I am glad to say you have two of the best now.”

_______________

Matt and Tessa walked hand in hand into the hospital. As soon as he opened the door to her room, Tessa ran over to Sylvie. “Are you okay Sylvie?” the young girl asked.

Brett rolled over to face the child, grimacing at the pain it caused her. “Yes, I am pumpkin. I am happy to see you, though. I want you to meet MY Mom and Dad.”

Turning, Tessa looked up at Frank. “Grandpa?” she asked.

That was all Frank Brett needed to hear before he scooped the little girl off the floor. “That’s right pumpkin. I am your Grandpa.”

Tessa laughed as Frank tickled her belly. Without thinking, she turned towards Matt. “Matt, Grandpa called me what Mommy calls me.”

Casey looked over at Sylvie, seeing her tear up through her wide smile. Reaching out for her daughter, Frank placed Tessa on the bed beside Sylvie. “Oh pumpkin, I love you so much!” Sylvie said, holding the little girl tightly.

Matt took in the scene in front of him. For the first time all day, he thought that everything may end up okay after all.

_________________


	82. Is Home Where the Heart Is?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sylvie and Matt head home from the hospital, but can Matt be patient enough to deal with what Sylvie is going through?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 82! Since I have received some INCREDIBLY kind comments, you all get this chapter early. Hope you enjoy!

Later that night, Matt moved Tessa’s booster seat to Frank’s truck. After giving them his key to the house, he told them that he would see them tomorrow. Walking back into the regular hospital room that had moved Sylvie too, he quietly slid the door open. He could see she was asleep, so he tiptoed across the floor, sitting down in the chair beside of her. Taking her hand in his, he laid his head down on the bed beside her, hoping that the better mood he had seen her in that night would continue to only improve.

The next morning, he was awoken by a nurse coming in to check on Sylvie. Glancing over at her, he saw that she was already awake.

“Matt, you didn’t have to stay the night with me. I know you were tired yesterday too.”

Waving her off, Casey gently squeezed her hand. “Syl, you spent the night with me in the hospital BEFORE we even started dating, so there was no way I was going to let the woman I love be in this room alone last night.”

Taking her in, he could see that the happiness from yesterday was gone. While the nurse was checking on her, Matt walked outside her room to check on her parents and Tessa. After hearing that everything was okay, Matt was about to go back into Sylvie’s room when he saw Dr. Manning.

“Hey Manning. Aren’t you supposed to be off by now?” Matt asked her.

Natalie laughed before responding. “Just got off, but wanted to come check on Brett first. How is she?”

Filling her in on everything that happened last night, Matt opened up to their friend. “Doc, I am just worried. Her emotions are all over the map, and I can’t tell half the time if what I am saying is right or wrong, or if it makes her happy or sad.”

Patting his shoulder, Manning offered him some advice. “Casey, you need to realize that her body is full of hormones that were expecting to help her with the babies. She is going to be moody for a while, at least until her body adjusts to not being pregnant again. The most important thing you can do is not take anything personal.”

Standing outside while Nat went in, Matt pondered their friend’s advice. It all made sense, so he made himself promise that he would listen to her.

________________

An hour later, Severide, Kidd and Lin all stopped by to check on Brett. Severide stayed outside with Matt, while they let the girls speak alone.

“How you feeling, girl?” Stella asked. “You really had us worried.”

Brett patted her legs with both hands before drawing a breath. “Well, not great. I did have a miscarriage, of twins, so my body and my emotions are just all over the place. Worse of all, Nat told me I probably wouldn’t be able to have children of my own.”

Hearing the news, Lin and Kidd both got on the bed, hugging their friend. “I am so sorry Brett.” Violet said softly. “How are you and Casey handling it?”

Brett looked at her two friends, trying to explain to them the thoughts she had wrestled with all night. “I don’t know Lin. My Mom couldn’t have children either, so she made me feel a little better last night, but after that I got sad again. All I wanted was for us to have kids of our own someday. Don’t get me wrong, Tessa is amazing, and I love her so much. She even called me Mommy yesterday. I just wanted to carry a baby in my belly and experience giving birth to a child once, if that makes any sense.”

Quickly changing the subject, Sylvie described what happened when Tessa called her Mommy for the first time. They talked for another ten minutes until they could see her becoming tired. As they left, Matt came back in, taking her hand.

“I love you Sylvie Brett. We are going to get through this together.”

Sylvie nodded before closing her eyes, hoping that Casey was right.

_______________

The OB/GYN came by right after lunch, letting Casey know that he was going to discharge Brett. Matt called her parents to let them know, while the doctor gave Sylvie instructions on what she should expect when she got home. Those instructions also including not working for the next two weeks. With that done, Matt moved back over to her.

“Wow Syl, this is great news you get to go home today. I know you will rest better at home than here in the hospital.”

Forcing a smile, Sylvie asked Casey to go down and bring his truck around. As Matt walked down to his truck, he kept replaying his conversation with Natalie.

_Don’t take anything personal, Matt._

______________

Less than two hours later, Matt parked on the street in front of their house. After he cut the engine, he ran around to open the door for Sylvie. As he helped her out of his vehicle and onto the sidewalk, he heard their front door open. 

“Mommy’s home!” Tessa yelled, running down towards them. As soon as she got to them, she threw her little arms around Brett’s legs. “I am glad you are home.” Tessa said, looking up at Sylvie. Matt looked at his fiancé, seeing the smile she had bring the sparkle back in her eyes.

“Me too pumpkin. Let’s get inside. It’s cold out here!”

Matt helped support Sylvie as she walked, even though she seemed to be walking fine. As soon as they entered the house, she hugged both her parents, before sitting down on the couch. Smelling the aroma from the kitchen, both Sylvie and Matt knew her Mom had been cooking.

“I am so glad you are home kiddo.” Frank said to his daughter, as he reached up and squeezed Matt’s shoulder. “Dinner is at 5pm, so I hope you are hungry.”

_______________

Leaving Sylvie with her family, Matt headed upstairs to take a shower. It felt like something was off to him, but he tried to convince himself that it was what Manning had said. The most important thing was the Sylvie was back home and on the road to recovery.

After his shower, Matt came back downstairs, picking up Tessa and taking her to the kitchen to watch Carol cook. A moment after he entered the kitchen, Sylvie got up to head upstairs to take her own shower.

“Do you need me to help you Sylvie?” Matt asked.

Shaking her head, Brett slowly climbed the stairs alone. As soon as he turned, he saw Carol looking at him concerned.

“She is going to be okay Matthew. She just needs a little time.” Carol said softly.

Matt nodded, and decided to occupy himself by playing Candy Land with Tessa.

_________________

Right before dinner was to be served, Sylvie came back downstairs. To Matt, it looked like she had been crying again, but he decided not to press her on it. Instead, he walked over to her, putting his hands on her shoulders. He had just started to massage her neck the way she liked him to, when she pulled away from him and went into the kitchen to help her mother.

_Okay,_ he thought. _I don’t care what Nat says…something is wrong._

Dinner went by without incident, as Tessa, Carol and Frank did most the talking. The only thing Matt could think of was getting Sylvie into bed, where he hoped she would let him hold her again.

After dinner, they all watched a movie Tessa liked, with Matt seeing Sylvie nod off through most of it. When it came time to go to bed, Matt remembered they only had two beds.

Turning towards Sylvie, he asked, “Why don’t we let your Mom and Dad take Tessa’s room, and the three of us will sleep in our room?”

Sylvie looked up at him, her eyes empty. “Can you sleep on the couch? I would like it to be just me and Tessa tonight.”

Nodding, Matt couldn’t control how helpless he felt. As the four of them went upstairs to bed, he grabbed a pillow and blanket out of the downstairs closet to sleep with. As he laid there on the couch, he thought about Sylvie upstairs.

_She didn’t even say goodnight to me. She also hasn’t told me she loves me for over a day._

Sliding off the couch, he got on his knees, praying that Sylvie, the woman who he loved with all of his being, would be herself again.

_______________

Upstairs, Tessa and Sylvie had just finished their goodnight prayers. With her daughter already asleep, Sylvie looked at the ceiling, cursing herself for treating Matt the way she had. All he had done was be the loving, gentle man he was. And she had rewarded him for doing that by ignoring him. She couldn’t understand why she was acting the way she was toward him, but in her heart, she felt like she might know. Getting out of bed, she tiptoed to the top of the stairs to see if he was already asleep. When she looked down the bannister, she saw him there, on his knees, his hands clasped in front of him.

_He is praying,_ she thought, amazed at what she was seeing.

Straining to listen, she heard a few words. _He is praying for me._

Turning around, she tiptoed back to Tessa’s bed. As she pulled the covers back over her, she reached out and pulled Tessa to her, wondering what was going with her to cause her not to want Matt in the bed with her, especially when all he had been was sweet and supportive for the last 24 hours.

______________


	83. Restless Nights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt sleeps on the couch while Sylvie and Tessa sleep in her bed. Will Matt let his worry overwhelm him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 83! A lot of you have been commenting on this arc, but we are getting close to the end of it, so I just ask that you hold on until then. As always, thanks to all of you for your continued support of this little story. Hope you enjoy!

The next morning, Matt woke to the sound of things moving in the kitchen. Pushing himself all the couch, he could see Frank and Carol in the kitchen, already preparing coffee and breakfast. Glancing at the clock, he saw it was only 5am. Laughing, he figured they had gotten up this early for so long at the farm, they couldn’t break their habit when they were away from home. 

Standing up, he moved over to them. “Good morning.” He said, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

Frank glanced over at Carol before responding. “Good morning, Son. How did the couch sleep?”

Looking over at his shoulder, he didn’t want to admit he barely slept at all. “Good. I just hope Sylvie slept okay.”

Carol reached across the island, patting Casey’s hand. “I think she did. She was holding Tessa this morning, and they both just looked so peaceful.”

He was happy to hear that, but part of Matt longed for HIM to be holding his girls. Moving over he poured himself a cup of coffee. “I have got a project for a customer today. Are you all staying tonight?”

Frank shook his head. “No Son, work on the farm never stops, so we need to get back.”

Hearing that, Matt thought about canceling his appointment. Carol could see his mind working, and broke in. “Matthew, go do your job. Pumpkin is going to be fine here. She has her medicine, and all she really needs to do is rest. I heard her tell Tessa something about a movie marathon today.”

Matt looked at the stairs, taking in everything Carol said. All of that was news to him, as he didn’t know about any medicine or movie marathon. Nodding once, he excused himself to head up to take a shower. As he passed by Tessa’s room, he saw the two loves of his life sleeping, Sylvie’s arms holding onto Tessa like she was a life preserver. Moving silently to them, he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on both of their foreheads.

After he left the room, Sylvie opened her eyes. She felt like she was going to start crying again, but she pushed those feelings back down. She loved Matt with all her heart. Even with that, somehow her mind and her heart weren’t on the same page.

_______________

After his shower, Matt hugged Carol and shook Frank’s hand. They had told him they were going to head back as soon as Sylvie and Tessa got up, and he wished them safe travels. As Matt walked out the door towards his truck, he felt his uneasiness continue to grow. Nothing that had happened since they had found out about Sylvie’s miscarriage seemed right. He knew she could handle things on her own, but he expected her to turn to him for support. It had been THEIR babies she was carrying after all. For some reason, though, she hadn’t yet.

As he closed his truck door and started the engine, he turned the radio off, instead choosing to pray for his fiancé the entire was to his customer’s house.

________________

As soon as she heard Matt leave, Sylvie woke up Tessa, telling her breakfast was ready. The four of them enjoyed a family breakfast together, none of them bothering to talk except for Tessa. After he finished eating, Frank headed upstairs to pack for them, while Carol worked to clean up the kitchen. Seeing Tessa in the den watching TV, Carol took the opportunity to talk to her daughter one on one.

“Are you going to be okay pumpkin?” Carol asked, her words heavy with concern.

Sylvie just nodded, her mind working on a plan. The medicine she had taken last night had her feeling better, and she knew she needed to apologize to Matt. Within an hour, Tessa and Sylvie waved goodbye to her parents as they pulled out, heading back to Fowlerton. After Brett shut the door, Tessa looked up at her.

“I really like Grandma and Grandpa. I wish they could stay here with us.”

“I know pumpkin. But I promise you will be seeing a lot more of them.” Sylvie replied. As she put a movie in, she called Natalie. She waited for a few rings before her friend answered.

“Nat, this is Sylvie. I am so sorry for interrupting your day off.”

Over the next five minutes, Sylvie filled Nat in on everything she was feeling and thinking. After being reassured it was just her hormones and that her prescription would continue to help, she let her friend go, feeling better than she had since Tessa had called her Mommy.

____________________

Matt finished his job early, beating his 6pm cutoff by 90 minutes. As he drove home, he hoped with all of his being that Sylvie would be happier than she was yesterday. He kept remembering what Natalie had said, and even though it was hard, he knew he could be with Sylvie through everything she was going through until she got to the other side.

When he turned on their street towards their house, he smiled, seeing a brand new, silver Honda CRV 4 wheel drive sitting in front of their house. As he parked his truck, he ran into the house.

“Sylvie. Tessa.” He yelled, not hearing anyone. He moved to the island, seeing a note sitting on it. All of the sudden, he felt his heart sink. Not sure if he wanted to read it, he stared at it. The last note she left him hadn’t been good, and he worried about this one too. It was folded in half like a tent, and he overcame his fear and picked it up.

_Matt,_

_Tessa is with Violet. I want you to come up to our bedroom._

_Love,_

_Sylvie_

Putting the note back down on the counter, Matt hurried up their steps. He saw their bedroom door was closed, but he couldn’t figure out why. When he opened it, what he saw surprised him.

________________


	84. Behind the Door

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sylvie has been dealing with far ranging emotions since her miscarriage. Is the note that Matt found a good thing or a bad one?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 84! This story is nearing 19,000 hits, which just is astounding. You all rock! Thanks so much for taking this journey with me. My story is seeing an end down the road, and it won't be long before I start jumping ahead some. With that said, hope you enjoy!

Their room was bathed in candlelight, and Sylvie was laying on her side of the bed in a sundress. He quickly walked over to her, sitting beside her. 

“Syl, are you okay?”

Brett just nodded, smiling at her fiancé. “I am Matt…because of you. I wanted to apologize about how I have been acting. My hormones have just been…well, all over the place, and I took my frustrations out on you. I’m sorry.”

Pulling her to him, Matt hugged her gently. “Sylvie, I love you with all my heart. You never have to say you’re sorry to me. I am going to be by your side always…good and bad.”

Hearing that, she pulled back, letting her lips gently touch his. “I know you do. That’s just one of the many reasons I love you. The medicine I started helped me feel better today, so please let me say what I need to say.” She paused for a moment, trying to find the right words. “I am sorry about not being able to have children. I know you wanted a baby.”

Matt looked at her sincerely. “Syl, I was serious when I said you and Tessa are my entire world. If we want more children, we will just adopt.”

She kissed him again, this time deeper. She knew their kiss couldn’t go any further, but she needed to feel close to him.

“I am glad you said that Matt. Because I have something that I need to ask you.”

“Anything.” Casey replied quickly.

“Marry me.” Sylvie said earnestly.

Matt chuckled, before seeing her expression remain the same. “Of course I will marry you, Sylvie. But remember, I kind of already asked you.”

Sylvie laughed too, sensing he didn’t understand. “I know that baby. I mean I want you to marry me right now.”

____________________

The confusion on his face was evident. Not understanding what she was saying, she explained it to him.

“Matthew Casey, I want you to marry me TONIGHT.”

Leaning over, he kissed her again. “Okay honey, I still don’t understand. Just the two of us?”

She nodded. “I know it won’t be technically official, but I don’t want another night to go by without being your wife.”

Matt pulled her to him, kissing her deeply. “I love you Sylvie Brett. I will marry you anytime you want.”

Laughing, she turned and reached towards her night stand. Grabbing two pieces of paper, she handed him his vows. Standing up, Matt took her hands, helping her to her feet. Looking at her white sun dress, he was in awe of her.

“God Syl, you look beautiful…hold on.” Casey sat his vows on the bed, ran to their closest and pulled out some clothes. Going into the bathroom, he changed out of his work clothes, and came out a couple of minutes later in slacks and a dress shirt.

“There, that’s better.” Picking up the vows, he took her hand, seeing she had marked through the parts the minister normally said.

“Sylvie Brett, I take you as my wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, definitely in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.”

Smiling, Sylvie leaned up and kissed Matt. “Um, I thought that came later?” Matt joked.

“This is our temporary wedding, so we can do whatever we want.” Sylvie joked back.

“Matthew Casey, I take you as my wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, whether we adopt or not, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.”

Matt pulled her to him, kissing her deeply. When they broke apart, he smiled down at her. “I guess that means we are husband and wife?”

Nodding Sylvie looked at him, the love that showing on her face blowing him away. “At least until we do it officially, yes. Matt, you and Tessa are my whole world too. All I want to do is love the two of you for the rest of my life.”

Reaching out, she handed him both of her rings. Taking them, he slid them on her finger, amazed at how perfect they looked on her hand. Bringing her hand up to his face, he kissed the back of her hand gently. When he let go, she took his left hand, surprising him by placing a wedding band on his hand.

He looked down at it, not understanding, until he looked back up and saw her smile. “Your ring is made out of hickory wood, which I found out is the strongest wood there is. Just like your love is the strongest force I know. I am sure you can’t see it in this light, but inside I had mine and Tessa’s name engraved, so we will always be the two closest people to you.”

Matt kissed her again, before pulling her into a long embrace. “Whatever happens Sylvie, I am never letting you and Tessa go.”

_____________

They laid back down on the bed, both of them on their sides looking at each other. Every once in a while, one of them would kiss the other, or let their hand rest of the other’s cheek. After twenty minutes, Sylvie confessed something to him. 

“Babe, I just want you to know that I want to make love to you SO bad right now, so you better be resting up for when I can again.”

Matt laughed, pulling her closer to kiss her. “I want the same thing Syl.” Just then, he remembered something. “Hey, I forgot I have a surprise for you too.”

Seeing her brow furrow, Matt got off the bed, reaching for her. “Do we have to get out of bed?” she asked. 

“Yes, if you want to see your present you do.”

Groaning, Sylvie did as he asked, hesitant to leave the perfect moment they had just shared. Of course it wasn’t official, but it was to her. She knew that from now on, whether she legally was or not, she was Matt Casey’s wife. As he led her down the stairs, he pulled her towards the front door.

“It’s outside?” she whined. “Baby, its’ cold outside.”

Matt laughed louder. “And you can sing that song to me this Christmas, honey. Just come on.”

When he opened the door, he held out his arm. She looked around outside, not understanding what was happening. Sighing, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a key. Hitting the lock button, she saw the silver SUV in front of her lights beep.

“What is that?” she asked to him, her eyes narrowing.

“That my love, is your new car.” Matt replied.

Sylvie turned to look at him, shocked. “You bought me a new car?” She asked, not believing him.

“Yep.” He replied, nodding. “You mentioned that you worried about driving Tessa around Chicago in the snow, and your new car isn’t only a four wheel drive, but it has every safety bell and whistle they could put on it. I don’t want to ever worry about you and Tessa not being safe.”

Throwing her arms around him, Sylvie hugged him tightly. “Babe…I don’t know what to say. Thank you.”

Matt hugged her back. “Well, I knew you would never had gotten rid of your old silver sedan unless it died, but we really need something safer to carry Tessa around in. Your car and my truck just aren’t going to cut it with our daughter riding with us.”

Grabbing her coat, Sylvie took the key and headed outside while Matt put his coat on. Together, they got in the car, while Brett started it, feeling the heated seats come on after Matt turned a knob. After a few minutes showing her all the bells and whistles, Sylvie cut the engine off and they headed back inside.

“Sylvie, is Tessa gone ALL night?” he asked her.

Nodding her head, Matt turned to her. “Good. Then I want you to get upstairs an into bed. I will bring you up some dinner in a few minutes.”

She was about to protest, but decided against it. Besides, if her _husband_ wanted to pamper her, why shouldn’t she let him?

_______________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of you may laugh about the "wedding" part, but I actually had some friends of mine do this in college, which made me think of this. With Sylvie's emotions having been what they have been in the previous chapters, I could see her wanting to show Matt just how much he means to her.


	85. A Firehouse Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sylvie and Matt get on the same page, while Matt accidently does something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 85! This is a bit of a transition chapter, but things start to pick up again soon. I appreciate all of you reading, commenting, and sending kudos. We just crossed 19,000 hits, and I am hoping we hit 20,000 before the end of this story. Thanks go to all of you for your support. Hope you enjoy!

Within fifteen minutes, Casey brought up a bowl of her favorite soup and half a sandwich. Running back downstairs, he picked up his soup and sandwich, and along with two drinks, ran back upstairs to Sylvie. As he took the stairs two at a time, he smiled to himself. 

_I don’t care if what we did was official or not…Sylvie is my wife._

Getting in bed beside her, he moved back on the bed until his back was on the headboard. For the next hour, the couple did nothing but eat and talk. Their talk centered around real wedding plans, Tessa, and anything else that came to their mind. After the few weeks they had come through, it felt good for both of them to get back on the same page.

Right before Tessa’s bed time, they called Matt’s niece, who let them both say goodnight to Tessa. They promised their daughter that first thing tomorrow morning she would be back home, and the three of them were going to do nothing but spend the day entire day together.

After their phone call, Matt got out of bed and went into the bathroom. After brushing his teeth and using the bathroom, he threw a pair of shorts and a t-shirt on. When Brett saw that, she spoke up.

“No way, baby, not tonight. You need to come to bed nude.”

Casey looked at her funny, not understanding what she was trying to do. He knew they couldn’t have sex, so he wasn’t sure what the point was. Deciding it was better to listen to her, he took his clothes back off and got into bed and underneath the covers.

When he was in bed, Sylvie got out and went into the bathroom. When she came out, all she had on was a pair of panties. As she got into bed, she moved closer to Matt, pulling his body to her.

“Even though we can’t have sex, I miss feeling your skin on mine.” Sylvie said, nuzzling her head into the crook of his neck.”

Matt kissed her forehead before speaking. “Anything my wife wants.”

____________

Around 3am, Matt woke to the sound of Sylvie crying. He knew she must have been crying for a while, as he could feel a pool of tears on his chest. Rolling over, he looked directly at her.

“Are you okay, Syl?”

Nodding Sylvie pulled him closer to her. “I was dreaming about us having twins.” She said between sniffles. “I just want a baby of our own so much.”

Squeezing her tightly, Matt kissed her forehead. “I know Syl, but all this means is that we will just adopt if we want more children. I have no doubt there is some little Sylvie out there who would like nothing more than to have a mom like you.”

She looked up at him, with the most earnest eyes he had ever seen. “I know babe, and I want that too. I just want us to keep trying to have a baby of our own too.”

Sylvie kissed his chest, squeezing him tightly. After a few more minutes, Matt could hear her breathing even out, sensing she was back asleep. Kissing her forehead once again, he stayed up the rest of the night, wondering if his love would be able to get over not being able to have kids. Or more importantly, if she could emotionally stand losing another one.

___________

The next morning, Matt woke up to the sensation of Sylvie’s tongue running along his chest. He moaned, the sensation causing him to harden even more than he already was. As soon as he looked down at Sylvie, he felt her lips smash against his, her tongue exploring his mouth. They kissed like that, their hands running over the skin of the other, unburdened by clothes. It had been more than a week since they had sex, and he could feel his desire growing. Knowing he had to restrain himself, he broke their kiss.

Running his hand across hair, pushing strands back behind her ears, he smiled at her. “Syl, that is a great way to wake up, but we need to be careful that we don’t start something we can’t finish.”

Sylvie grinned, looking at the man she loved. “Who said anything about not finishing?” she said, taking him into her hand, stroking his length. Knowing he was helpless against her, she kept up the pace for another minute or so.

“Fuck that feels good Sylvie.”

Laughing, Sylvie moved up his body, kissing him earnestly. “Since today is unofficially our honeymoon, the least I can do is make my husband cum.”

And with those words said, that is exactly what he did.

________________

After letting Matt recover, the two of them took a shower together. Matt made sure he washed her gently, since he knew she had to be a little sore. Kneeling down, he took her leg in one hand as she balanced against him, slowly washing her calves and foot. When he was finished, he saw her smiling down at him.

“Matt Casey. I love you more than I thought was possible.”

Grinning, Casey got to his feet, kissing her softly. “Well that is good Syl, because I am going to love you for the rest of my life.”

After they got out of the shower and got dressed, Matt went down to start breakfast. Sylvie took that moment to call her mom.

“Hey pumpkin.” Carol said when she answered the phone. “How are you feeling today?”

Sylvie grinned, thinking back to the last 12 hours with Matt. “I am better Mom. I am still upset about losing the babies and what the doctor said about my chances to carry a baby to term, but if I have Matt and Tessa in my life, I can be happy.”

Pausing, Sylvie thought of the best way to ask her Mom what she wanted. “Um, Mom, I want to talk to you about something. I want to marry Matt as soon as possible. What do you think is the best way to make that happen?”

___________________

After spending fifteen minutes on the phone with her mom making plans, Sylvie headed downstairs to eat breakfast with Matt. She didn’t share her the plans she discussed with her Mom about a wedding, instead keeping that to herself.

Around 10am, Violet dropped Tessa back off at the house. With the three of them together, they spent the rest of the day happily doing nothing except being a family.

The next morning, Matt got up and got dressed for shift, leaving both Tessa and Sylvie still asleep. Before he left, he bent down and softly kissed Sylvie’s forehead.

“I love you. Call me if you need anything today.”

Sylvie rustled at his touch, and when her eyes opened, he could see a sadness to them. “I will babe. I am going to miss you being gone to work for the next two weeks while I stay home.”

Matt knew he was going to miss her too. “Hey, if you feel up to it today, why don’t you and Tessa come by the station and see everyone?”

Pulling him down, Sylvie wrapped her hands around his neck, pulling him closer to him. “I can’t think of a better plan.”

______________

Right before lunch, Sylvie drove Tessa in her new car to 51. As soon as she walked into the bullpen, she and her daughter were surrounding by her work family, hugging her and talking to Tessa. A few minutes after they arrived Matt came out.

“Uh,” Gallo said, speaking up. “Is there something you two need to tell us?”

Looking back over at his candidate, Casey had no idea what Gallo was talking about, until Sylvie covered his left hand with hers.

“Nothing official Gallo. We are just trying them on.” Sylvie replied, winking at Matt.

Blushing, Matt realized he completely forgot to take off his wedding band from when she put it on him last night. He was already comfortable wearing, just like he was already comfortable with the two names that were inscribed into the band. As nonchalantly as possible, he pulled his wedding bad off and handed it back to Brett.

“Sorry,” he whispered. “It already feels like a part of me.”

His words caused Sylvie to blush. 

_That’s a good thing,_ she thought, _because it is going to be on there permanently sooner than you think._

___________________


	86. Something is Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After celebrating Halloween with Tessa, Matt feels something is off with Sylvie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 86! Thanks go to all of you for your continued support from reading, commenting, and sending kudos. The end of this story is in sight, so hold on for the road ahead. Hope you enjoy!

Two weeks later, Matt and Sylvie got Tessa dressed up as a bumblebee, taking her around town to all of the houses of their co-workers for Halloween. They were in awe of how quickly everyone had taken to Tessa, treating her like they had known the little girl since she was born.

When they got home, Matt carried their sleeping daughter upstairs, laying her on her bed while Brett worked to get her costume off. When that was done, Sylvie tucked her in, kissing her goodnight. After she was done, Matt did the same and after he did, took Sylvie’s hand and led him back to their bedroom.

As Sylvie got in the shower, Matt brushed his teeth, not able to take his eyes off her nude body through the glass. He felt embarrassed, but they still hadn’t had sex since her miscarriage, and while Matt wouldn’t admit it to Sylvie, all he could think about most nights in bed was taking her.

Not realizing she caught him staring, his thoughts were interrupted when he heard her laughing.

“What?” He asked, attempting to cover up his erection, which was getting more difficult to do as she smiled at him.

“Oh nothing, baby. I was just seeing how hot and bothered you were getting. Don’t worry, in about ten minutes the only thing you are going to be thinking about is how good I am making you feel.”

Matt didn’t care if she had anything else to add, opening the shower door and getting in, kissing her harshly.

“God Syl, you don’t understand how much I want you.”

Letting her fingernail run up his back, she leaned further into him. “Oh trust me babe, I most certainly do.”

_________________

Later that night after making love for the second time, Matt was laying flat on his stomach while Sylvie let her hands wander across his back.

“So, I know your birthday is coming up. What would you say to all of us going to Fowlerton and spending your birthday there? Stephen and his girls will be there, and they all want to meet Tessa. And our little girl can’t wait to meet her other cousin.”

Casey nodded into his pillow, his sleepiness overtaking him. “That sounds good babe. I think Tessa would love the farm and all the animals. Let’s do it. Do you want to take a furlough day so we can stay longer?”

Sylvie nodded, before leaning over and kissing his cheek. “Rest up my love. Now that I can have sex again, I plan on wearing you out every night.”

As Matt smiled, she saw his eyes close. With part one of her plan complete, she was ready to move to stage 2.

_____________________

Two days later at shift, Brett knocked on Bodden’s door. “Come in Brett.” The Chief said happily.

When Brett closed the door behind him, he could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. No one ever closed the door on purpose, unless what they wanted to talk about was serious. As he sat back down in his chair, he opened his eyes.

“What can I help you with PIC Brett?”

Sylvie played with her watch, trying to figure out the best way to ask her Chief the big favor she needed. “Chief, I need your help. And I need what I am about to ask you to be between us.”

Bodden leaned back in his chair, understanding his uneasiness had been confirmed. Trying to keep an open mind, he listened to what Brett wanted, not fully understanding how big it was until she finished.

___________________

A week later at shift, Casey knocked on Severide’s door.

“Hey man, has Brett talked to you or Kidd lately?” he asked.

Severide dropped his pen, turning to look at his friend. He shook his head. “No man. Why?”

Crossing his arms in front of him, Matt kicked the toe of his work boots onto the floor. “I don’t know honestly. She is her normal self at home, but for some reason when we are shift, she seems to always be in her vehicle. Really the only time I see her is at meals and night when she comes back to my quarters. Something just feels off.”

Rubbing his chin, Kelly pondered his friend’s information. “I don’t know. Do you think she is still feeling the effects of the miscarriage?”

Casey considered that, thinking that matched up with what he was thinking. _But if that’s it, why is she normal at home and not at work?_

Matt blew air out of his cheeks. “Maybe. Just keep an eye out on her for me, okay?”

“Will do.”

Now more confused than before, Matt returned to his quarters. _Maybe we need a date night?_

_____________________

As they drove to pick up Tessa the next morning, Matt reached for Sylvie’s hand across the console. “Hey, why don’t you and I plan a date night soon?” he asked.

Sylvie turned at him, smiling. But her smile quickly vanished. “Let me think about a time babe. I am meeting Violet tonight to go shopping, and tomorrow night I have to meet Chloe, Lin, and Kidd about wedding planning for her and Severide.”

Matt nodded, focusing on the road. For some reason, it felt like she was pulling away from him again, but he didn’t know why. Especially when she was her normal self at home, it only seemed to be when they were at work. Though he had to admit, being gone two off nights in a row was something that was new to the equation.

After picking up Tessa, they drove to a museum, trying to find something fun for Tessa that was inside, away from the biter Chicago winds. When they got home, the three of them shared lunch, with Tessa repeating her excitement over their upcoming trip to Fowlerton the next weekend. 

The three of them spent the afternoon together, and when Matt started cooked Tessa and him something for diner, Sylvie changed to head out. Right before she left, Brett kissed them both.

“I love you two. You are my whole world.” She said happily. With that, she was gone.

Standing in the kitchen, Casey tried to not let his imagination get the best of him, but he knew he was failing. Just when he thought they were back on the same page, something seemed off again. At bed time, he tucked Tessa into her bed and said her prayers with her. With their little girl asleep, he went into the spare bedroom he used as his office and worked on some bids.

When Sylvie came home at 10:30pm, Matt could tell she was a little tipsy. _Why would she be tipsy if she went shopping with my niece,_ he wondered?

When she came upstairs, she found him in front of his desk. Walking over, she spun his office chair around before straddling him. She kissed him hard, feeling him tentatively kiss him back.

“Everything okay baby?” she asked.

Matt nodded. “Did you and Violet have fun tonight?” he asked.

Nodding her head, Sylvie moved her mouth down his neck. “We did. We actually ran into Foster, which means I ended up drinking a little bit.”

If she ran into Foster than that would certainly explain her being tipsy. She still could see him unsure, so she tried to remedy things. “Now baby, enough talk about Violet and Foster. Why don’t you come to bed so I can fuck your brains out?”

His eyes flashed to hers. _Yep, definitely tipsy._ He was still worried, but he was not going to miss the chance to be with the woman he loved…especially in the mood she was in.

With his decision made, he let her take his hand and lead them back to their bedroom, where she upheld every part of her offer.

__________________


	87. Everything is Wierd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Casey can't figure out what is going on with everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 87! I hope you are still enjoying this story, as we have a few twists and turns left to go, so hold on. Hope you enjoy!

The next day followed the same pattern. Sylvie was fine in the morning and afternoon until she left to head to Kidd’s. When she came home, she was slightly tipsy again, and once again left Matt completely satisfied sexually. Part of him didn’t want to say anything, because if the truth was known, she was literally knocking his socks off in bed. They were always great sexually, but for some reason over the last two nights, it was like she let go of almost every inhibition she had. It seemed like her sole purpose was to make him feel as good as possible, even stopping him from trying to get her off like he normally did. 

The next morning as they drove to shift, he turned to her.

“Is everything okay Syl? Don’t get me wrong, last night was amazing, but you just seem to be a little off lately.”

Sylvie pondered his question, trying to come up with an answer that would suit him. “I am babe. I think I am just trying to get my fill of you sexually since we won’t be able to have sex when we go back home this weekend.”

Matt thought about the trip they were leaving for tomorrow morning, Friday. He thought back to the fact they had sex TWICE the last time they were in Fowlerton, but for some reason she seemed inclined to not want to repeat that this time. He shook his head, trying to shake his worry away. In twenty four hours they would be on their way to Fowlerton, and it would be nothing but Sylvie’s family for 4 days.

_______________

Shift started busy, which was not unusual. What was unusual, though, was almost NO ONE was talking to Casey. Even when he tried to start a conversation with Severide, Hermann or Mouch, most of their responses were short and sweet, before they excused themselves to go somewhere else. As he sat back in his quarters, Sylvie came and knocked on his door.

“Hey babe.” She said. When she noticed his pensive face looking down at his desk, she added. “Everything okay?”

Matt turned his chair to face her. Her being there was the first time she had graced his quarters during the day in almost a week full of shifts. Throwing his pen on his desk, he looked up at her.

“I don’t know Sylvie. Is it just me or does everyone seem off lately? You have been out most every night, and now today, the day before we leave, I can barely get anyone to talk to me.”

Sylvie could see his concern etched in his forehead. Trying to ease his mind, she walked over and gently kissed him. “I don’t know about everyone else, but as for me, I am sorry I have gone so much. I promise that will change when we get back from our trip.”

Matt could sense the honesty in her answer. Kissing her again before he leaned back in his chair, he put his hands behind his head. “Maybe all of this is just the universe’s way of telling me I need a vacation?”

“Maybe.” She said, before turning and heading towards 61. “Maybe.”

________________

As shift wore on, Casey quit even trying to talk to anyone, instead choosing to remain in his quarters working on his paperwork. After dinner, which he ate in his quarters, Sylvie came back to sit with him. As she sat on his cot, he turned his chair to face her.

“Anything you want to do when we are at your parents?” he asked.

Sylvie chewed on her lip, trying to think. When Matt saw this, he began to wonder if had a right to be uneasy about how everyone was treating him.

“No.” she said finally. “I just want to spend some quiet time with you and Tessa. I do want Dad to show Tessa the farm. I think she will love seeing all the animals.”

Matt nodded, knowing that Tessa was going to love the farm. Wide open spaces to run and play, animals to see and touch, and most importantly, family there to love on her. As Casey watched Brett yawn, he knew he didn’t want her anywhere else tonight.

“Go ahead and lay down, Syl. I am fine at my desk.”

Feeling her heart swell, Sylvie stood up and kissed Matt quickly before she laid back down. “I love you babe. I think this trip home is just what we need.”

As he watched her move around, getting comfortable in his cot, Casey hoped his love was right. He wanted things to get normal again, and soon.

_______________

At 1:30am, the entire house was called out for a warehouse fire. As soon as 51’s vehicles came to a stop, Bodden, Severide and Casey all hopped out and convened, taking stock of the situation.

“Casey,” Bodden said. “This call will be good practice for you. You take command of this scene.”

Stunned, Matt looked over at Severide, only seeing him nod in return. Bodden had never let ANYONE command a scene while he was there, as that was exclusively the purvey of the Chief. Making his decisions quickly, he started barking orders.

“Hermann, you take command of 51. Severide, you and your men do recon on the first floor, while Hermann and 51 will take the second.”

With his orders given, he looked over at Bodden, feeling his Chief grasp his shoulder. “Good job Casey. Just know I am here if you need me.”

Looking over at Brett, Casey just shrugged his shoulders. For some reason, though, she didn’t seem surprised to see him taking command of the scene. Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to the fire.

For the next twenty minutes, Casey did everything he would have expected Bodden to do. Every once and a while he would turn and look at his commanding officer, hoping he made the right decision. Each time, Bodden just nodded. When the fire was extinguished, all of the members switched to clean up except for Severide, who came over and patted Casey’s back.

“Good job, Case. We didn’t miss a beat with you taking command.”

Casey glanced back at Bodden, seeing his mentor smile broadly at him. “Yes he did Severide. Yes he did.”

While grateful for the words, Casey moved to help his firefighters at 51 with the cleanup, again wondering why his world today had turned so upside down.

When everyone got back to 51, it was close to 3:30am. Everyone fell exhausted in their bunks, except for Casey, who let Brett sleep in his. As he laid his head on his crossed arms that rested on his desk, he pondered what was going with everyone today. First, no one wanted to talk to him, and then Bodden let him command a scene. Something was up, but he wasn’t sure exactly what. Right now, though, he was too tired to think about it.

________________

The next morning, all of 51 dragged themselves out of the firehouse and headed to their cars. Matt was exhausted, after not sleeping good on his desk. He could tell Sylvie was more rested than he was, but not by much.

“Hey Syl,” Casey started. “Do you want to go get Tessa and take a nap at home and head to Fowlerton later? I am exhausted.”

Brett turned towards Casey faster than he had ever seen her react to anything. “No babe. I really want to get to Fowlerton as soon as possible. If you are tired, I will just drive.”

Matt nodded, getting into the passenger’s seat. He really wasn’t sure what the hurry was to get to Frank and Carol’s, as they would be there for 4 days, but if that was what Sylvie wanted, he could definitely sleep on the way.

___________________


	88. What is happening on the Farm?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt, Sylvie and Tessa arrive at the farm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 88! I hope you are still enjoying this little story. As always, thanks go to all of you who are reading, commenting, and sending kudos. I appreciate every one of you! With that said, on to the chapter. Hope you enjoy!

Matt did in fact sleep almost the entire way to Fowlerton, only waking up about thirty minutes from Sylvie’s parent’s house. As he wiped the sleep from his eyes, he could hear Tessa in the backseat getting excited.

“I get to pet animals soon!” The young girl said giddily.

Sylvie laughed, looking at her daughter in the rearview mirror. “That’s right pumpkin. You also get to meet your cousin Taylor. She is just a little baby, so you will have to be careful, okay?”

Glancing over at Casey, Brett reached for his hand, smiling at how happy Tessa was. Seeing how happy both of his girls were, Casey felt his excitement growing too. When Brett turned onto the road her parent’s house was on, Casey could already see Stephen, Kimberly, and Taylor were there. Looking back over at Sylvie, he questioned her.

“Did Stephen and Kimberly take a day off to come home early?” he asked.

Brett nodded. “Yep. They were jealous of us last time and how long we got to stay, so they decided to come early. Also, Stephen said if Dad needs any help on the farm this weekend, then it’s his turn to help since you did it last time.”

Casey nodded, glad to hear that news. He had overworked himself on the farm last time, and he sincerely hoped he wouldn’t have to do that again. _Besides,_ he thought, _this is my birthday weekend._ Casey thought back to how he celebrated birthdays in the past, and there was certainly nothing that stood out. He always had cake, sure, but he never had parties growing up. He thought that was mainly due to his Mom worrying about hid Dad coming home drunk in the middle of it. When he was older, outside of a drink at Molly’s and maybe a dinner, his birthday celebrations were definitely subdued. He had a feeling though, that knowing Sylvie’s Mom, he was going to be eating REALLY good for the next few days.

As Sylvie came to a stop behind Kimberly’s minivan, he turned to look at Tessa. “Let’s go sweetheart. Our farm adventure awaits!” Getting out of his side, he let Sylvie get Tessa out of her booster seat, while Matt opened up the back to get their bags. It shouldn’t have surprised him, but the entire Brett family was waiting for them on the porch.

Tessa ran over to Frank and Carol. “Grandma! Grandpa!” she screamed, happy to let each of them pick her up and hug her. As Carol set her down, Sylvie came up behind her. Turning to wait for Matt, she knew he wanted to be there for the introductions. When he joined them, Sylvie started.

“Now Tessa, this is my brother Stephen who is your Uncle.”

Stephen knelt down so he could look Tessa in the eye. “It is so nice to meet you Tessa. We have heard so much about you.”

Casey could see Tessa was being shy, but that changed when Kimberly knelt down with Taylor. “And I am your Aunt Kimberly, and this little one is your cousin Taylor.”

Tessa looked back at Matt and Sylvie, her smile taking up her entire face. She let Kimberly hug her, while she let her little hand come to rest on Taylor’s stomach. “Hey!” Tessa said to the baby, who just cooed in response. Matt and Sylvie saw that coo draw another smile from their daughter. With introductions done, Sylvie hugged all of her family before Matt did the same. When he got to Kimberly, she whispered in his ear.

“So Matt, I want you to know how happy I am that you for proposed to Sylvie.”

Casey smiled at Kimberly, seeing she was in fact very happy at the news. Before he could answer, he felt Frank grab his shoulder. “Come on son, let’s get your bags inside.”

As soon as they entered, Matt was floored by the feast he could smell coming from the kitchen. He only had to look at Carol to get a laugh out of her.

“What Matthew? I knew that ALL of my family was going to be here, so I might have cooked a little extra.” Carol turned at winked at Sylvie, who stood up on her tiptoes and placed a kiss of Casey’s cheek. 

“Smell good, babe?”

Matt nodded, as they all headed to the kitchen table for lunch.

_______________

After lunch, Stephen and Frank went out back towards the farm. When Matt offered to come, he was told to rest up, since they had heard about how their last night had gone. As Matt sat on the couch with Tessa and the woman, he was surprised when Carol, Sylvie, and Kimberly all got up.

“Matt, can you watch Taylor for me?” Kimberly asked. “We girls want to have a little gossip time.”

Within minutes, Matt, Taylor and Tessa were all back asleep again. When Matt woke up, he saw Tessa making silly faces at Taylor, who was awake on his chest. He looked at his watch, seeing he had been out for a little over an hour. 

As Tessa and Matt tried their best to make Taylor laugh, he heard the sound of another vehicle pulling up to the Brett farm. Since he couldn’t see outside, he called upstairs to the woman.

“Mrs. Brett? Are you expecting anyone else?”

No response. _Weird_ , Matt thought. Standing up with Taylor in his arms, he walked to the front door, floored by what he saw.

________________

For a second, he wondered if the charter bus was lost. But when Bodden and Donna got off the bus, he knew something was up. “Sylvie! You better get down here!” Casey yelled through his growing smile.

Casey stepped out on the porch, seeing Cindy and Hermann, Severide and Kidd, and most of the rest of 51 get off the bus. He was about to yell at them when Sylvie came up behind him. 

“Surprise baby. Happy birthday!”

Turning around, Matt kissed his fiancé. “What is going on Syl?”

Bringing her hand to her chin, Brett acted like she was thinking hard. “Um, nothing but our 51 family coming to celebrate your birthday here at the farm.”

Not caring if anyone saw, Matt pulled Brett too him, kissing her deeply. When they broke Sylvie bent over at kissed Taylor’s check, seeing the baby was confused.

“Too much PDA!” Kidd yelled as they made their way towards the Brett’s front porch. It was then that Casey noticed everyone was dressed up. The woman had dresses or long country skirts on, while the men had on suits without ties. As they stepped down, Sylvie, Matt and Tessa, along with the rest of the Brett family met everyone, with hugs, handshakes and greetings.

After about twenty minutes, when all the introductions had been made, Frank Brett stepped back onto the porch.

“Everyone.” He said loudly. “Welcome to Brett Farm in wonderful Fowlerton, Indiana. If you will follow me, we have everything set up out back.”

Casey turned to look at Carol, who gave him a side hug before kissing his cheek. “Happy 40th birthday, Matthew. We are so happy you are part of the family.”

He wanted to remind her he wasn’t part of the family yet, but Casey let it slide, instead walking with everyone towards the back of the house. What he saw there was more shocking then the bus pulling up. There was a flatbed trailer that had speakers set up with a DJ who was just turning on the music. There was a buffet spread that had to run at least 25 feet, with every meat, vegetable, and desert Casey could think of. Finally, there were white linen table tops spread around, with white chairs also around if people wanted to sit down. Finally, in the middle of all of that, was a wooden dance floor where the guests could dance.

Matt searched for Sylvie, knowing this was all her doing, when he saw Emily Foster walking to him.

“Hey there Captain. Surprised?”

Matt nodded his head as he hugged Brett’s friend. “Did you help her plan all this?” Casey asked.

Foster nodded. “Yep, but I had a little help.” With that, she stepped to the side, letting Casey see his niece.

“Violet? You helped with this too?”

Smiling, Violet hugged him. “Yep Uncle Matt. When Sylvie mentioned this to me, I told her I wanted to help out.”

Casey took a moment, taking in the sight of all of his friends and family, laughing as they stood in line for food. He turned around, looking for the one person he knew was responsible for it all. When he found her, she was standing on the back porch. Casey quickly walked to her, wrapping his arms around her tightly. 

“I love you Sylvie. Thank you.”

Sylvie kissed him gently. “You deserve it baby. We have been through a lot this year, but I wanted you to ALWAYS remember your 40th birthday.

Casey kissed her again. “I promise you I will.”

Laughing, Sylvie nodded. _Oh yes you will._

__________________________


	89. Happy Birthday Matt?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt begins to enjoy the surprise part Sylvie has arranged for him. Will one other surprise ruin the evening for them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 89! We are almost at 20,000 hits on this story, which is absolutely incredible. To all of you who have been reading this story from the beginning, you have my humblest appreciation. And to those who comment and send kudos, thanks to you as well. These next two chapters are big ones, so hold on for the ride! Hope you enjoy!

As everyone started to fill their plates, Severide came over and grabbed Casey’s shoulder. “Come on man. You need to get changed.”

Looking down at his jeans, Casey knew his friend was right, but there was a problem. “Sev, I don’t have anything else to wear.”

Kelly just laughed. “Already taken care of and sitting on the porch.” With that news, Casey and Severide walked to the front of the house. “Were you surprised?” Kelly asked.

“Definitely.” Matt replied. “I thought this weekend was just going to be Mrs. Brett making too much food, but this is better.”

When they got to the front porch, Casey saw a suit sitting on a chair, enclosed in a suit bag. His black shoes were also there. “How?” Casey asked, his eyes narrowing.

“Um, that would be your fiancé giving me a key to your house so I could go get your stuff.”

Severide filled him in on how Sylvie chartered a bus for them, and how Bodden met with everyone individually about the trip. After Casey and Brett had left, everyone met back at 51 an hour later and loaded up. Since no one was driving, most of the firefighters slept on the way here.

“You know what that means, right?” Severide asked.

“No, what?”

“It means we expect this to be a VERY good party.”

_____________

Casey took his clothes and went upstairs, changing in the bedroom. He had on a black suit, white dress shirt, and black dress shoes. He knew it would probably get cold as the sun went down, so he figured he would change later, but he wanted to match what everyone else had on for now. As he left the bathroom and headed downstairs, he passed Sylvie on her way up.

“Syl…”

That was all he could get out before Brett pushed his against the wall of the stairs, kissing him deeply. They kissed like that for a minute, before she broke away. “I love you Matt Casey. Don’t you ever forget it.”

Matt thought about following her up to the bedroom, but she just laughed. “No way babe. Head on down to the party.”

Shaking his head, he headed down to the party while Brett continued up to change. When he got to the backyard, the DJ was already playing some music, while everyone was eating from overflowing plates. Matt made his way around to visit with most people individually, finding out that the only person who couldn’t make it was Trudy, who was on desk duty that day.

Smiling, Matt looked around at his work family…no, he thought in retrospect…his family. Happy in the knowledge that all of them would pass up a day off to come spend it with him and Sylvie in Indiana.

After another hour, he noticed everyone was done eating, and were now drinking from the open bar that was set up in the corner. He hadn’t seen Sylvie since the hallway, and every time he started to go check on her, someone came up to talk to him. As he looked around, he noticed he also didn’t see Bodden or Severide. _What is going on,_ he wondered?

A few moments later, Frank came up to him. “Son, why don’t you come with me.” Casey nodded, letting Frank lead him down towards the cow barn, the site of his one day of work on the farm. When they got there, Frank turned to face Casey.

“Son, I wanted to thank you for making my pumpkin so happy. And, for giving us another grandchild. Carol and I couldn’t be happier to have you as a member of our family.”

Nodding, Matt took in Sylvie’s fathers kind words. “Mr. Brett, I would do anything for Sylvie and Tessa.”

“I know, son.” Frank replied. “That is why I need you to do me a favor tonight.”

“Anything.” Matt replied quickly.

Smiling, Frank leaned closer to Casey. “That’s good to hear Matt. Wait here for five minutes and then come back up to the house.”

Matt wasn’t sure what was going on, but he quickly glanced at his watch. After Frank left, he paced the length of the barn, looking at the cows and his watch. When his five minute waiting period was up, he headed back towards the house. As soon as he crested the hill, he understood what his wait was for.

_______________

All of the tables and chairs that had been placed everywhere in the backyard were not that way anymore. Instead, all the chairs were lined up neatly in rows, with all of the guests already sitting in them. At the middle of the dance floor, there was now an arch standing there, covered in flowers. Casey stopped, taking it all in. He then turned to look at Frank who was standing by the end of the flatbed.

“Is that what I think it is?”

Laughing, Frank gripped Matt’s shoulder. “Yes, it is. It is time for you to OFFICIALLY become a member of the family.”

Nodding, Matt followed Frank to his place where the alter stood. Mr. Brett looked over his shoulder. “Be right back, son. Don’t go anywhere.”

Casey stood there, a silly grin on his face as all of 51 and their significant others looked at him, their smiles mirroring his. Behind him, he felt someone move to stand behind him.

“Matthew.” The man said, shaking his hand. “I don’t know if you remembering meeting me, but I am Pastor Milton.”

Shaking the man’s hand, Casey did remember him. He was the pastor of the Brett’s family church. Just then, it fully hit him. 

_I am going to marry Sylvie…tonight._

_______________________

Ten minutes later, the Pastor and Casey watched as Tessa came down the makeshift aisle in a dress, letting rose petals fall as she walked. When she got to the Casey, she let him pick her up and kiss her check. 

“Great job pumpkin. I am going to marry Mommy tonight.”

Tessa hugged Matt’s neck. “I know Daddy. I am so happy.”

Matt felt his eyes fill up with tears at his daughter calling him “daddy” for the first time. “I love you Tessa. I always will.”

She smiled back, turning to look as Severide escorted Kidd down the aisle next. Behind them a few feet were Bodden and his niece, Violet. When Severide got to the front, he took his place beside Casey.

“More surprised now?” Severide asked, grinning.

Matt smiled back, overwhelmed by this moment. “Definitely Sev. Definitely.”

Bodden moved to stand behind Kelly, while Violet and Kidd took the same position across the arch from them. Just then, Matt heard the DJ start the wedding march. Turning to look, he saw the back door to the house open, with Frank leading his fiancé out.

Matt gulped, trying his best not to lose his composure at the vision that Brett was. She had on a white wedding dress that hugged her body. It wasn’t cut low, but Matt could still see the slightest hint of her cleavage. He saw her hair was up, but her radiant smile was the same one that pierced his heart so long ago. He felt a tear finally fall down his check, not caring that anyone saw it. He was in love with the amazing woman who was being escorted down towards him and he couldn’t wait to marry her.

For once, he knew, he would truly never forget a birthday.

______________

When Frank and Sylvie got to him, Matt shook Frank’s hand, who then took Tessa from him. Tessa leaned over and kissed Sylvie’s cheek, and then happily let Frank carry her back over to Carol. Casey reached for her hands, and when he got them, brought both of them up to kiss them.

“This was what was going on?” he whispered.

Brett just nodded, before turning to the minister and nodding. With that signal, the minister began.

“Welcome. We are gathered here today in the sight of God and of these friends and family to join Matthew and Sylvie in holy matrimony.”

He continued on with his introductions, but Matt and Sylvie didn’t care. All they were doing were gazing lovingly in each other’s eyes. When they heard the minister utter the familiar line, “If any of you has a reason why these two should not be married, speak now or forever hold your peace.” Matt felt his breath catch when they heard a noise, causing everyone to turn towards it.

__________________


	90. Interruptions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the wedding, Matt and Sylvie are interrupted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 90! I think I have kept you all in suspense long enough. Hope you enjoy!

Sylvie turned in a flash, her face falling, until she saw the source of the noise. Her niece, Taylor, had decided now would be an appropriate time to start crying. Hearing the sound of everyone laughing, she looked at Matt, smiling before she started to giggle herself.

“Excuse us.” Kimberly said while she stood up. “Let me get this little one into the house.”

As everyone watched Kimberly carry Taylor back to the house, Matt turned back towards Sylvie.

“Whew.” She said loudly, getting another laugh from everyone. Turning to the Pastor, she spoke again. “Okay, Pastor, let’s continue.”

When it came time to read their vows, Matt knew they would have to say the standard ones, since he hadn’t had time to prepare his own. He listened and watched as Sylvie smiled through her tears, saying hers, and he did the same during his. When they were finished, Severide handed Casey Brett’s rings, while Kidd did the same for Sylvie with Matt’s. When they exchanged rings, Matt and Sylvie looked at each other, knowing they were almost there.

“And by the power vested in me,” the minister said loudly. “I now pronounce you husband and wife. Matthew, you may kiss your bride.”

That was the sentence Casey had been wanting to hear since he saw Sylvie walking down the aisle. Pulling her to him, he kissed her lovingly. When they broke, he rested his hand on her cheek. “Sylvie, I will love you for the rest of my life.”

“That’s good to hear, baby. Because I will love you for this life and our next.”

Taking her hand, they turned to face everyone who was seated, waiting for the minister.

“I would now like to introduce to you for the first time, Matthew and Sylvie Casey!”

With that uttered, Sylvie and Matt walked back down the aisle and towards the house. As they did, Matt passed a photographer he hadn’t even noticed was there. The person standing beside the photographer, though, did surprise him.

_________________

Sylvie let go of Matt’s hand, hugging the woman.

“Welcome to the family.” Christie, Matt’s sister, said happily.

After Sylvie let go, Matt hugged Christie too, but then turned towards Sylvie. “How?” he asked.

Looking at Christie, she replied truthfully. “The day I went “shopping” with Violet I went to meet Christie and let her know my plans. I told her that I knew we both would want her here with us today.”

Christie nodded, her eyes glistening. “I’m just sorry I got her late. But luckily I made it right before the ceremony started.”

By that time, Matt and Sylvie were being hugged and congratulated by Frank, Carol, Stephen, Kimberly, and everyone else who had made the trip to Fowlerton. For the next hour, Sylvie and Matt spoke to everyone who came, thanking them for sharing their special day with them, while also explaining the significance of their wedding rings.

“Props to you, Captain.” Kidd said loudly. “You are much more romantic than I thought you were.”

While some of the firefighters helped Frank and Stephen set up outdoor lights and heaters, the newlyweds took in the scene in front of them. The sun had just started to go down when Matt finally had a minute alone with his wife.

“Sylvie, thank you. I can’t believe you planned ALL of this for us. You are just amazing.”

Leaning in, Sylvie kissed him softly, feeling Matt pull her closer to his body. “Anything for you my incredible husband.”

For a second, her words overwhelmed Matt, causing him to remember he was in fact Sylvie’s husband…for the second time. Immediately, though, he knew that was a title he never wanted to give up.

“Mommy! Daddy!” Tessa yelled, running over to them. Sylvie turned to look at Matt, surprised at his other new name.

“Yep. She called me that right before the ceremony started.” Casey said laughing. “Best day ever.”

________________

For the next two hours, everyone enjoyed the alcohol and fellowship of their friends. Frank even took a few members of 51 on a short tour of the farm, prompting both Severide and Bodden to ask if they could come back sometime to enjoy the farm more. Laughing, Frank told them they were welcome anytime. “Besides,’ Mr. Brett replied. “I am sure this is the first farm most of you have ever set foot on.”

At 8:30pm, everyone from Chicago piled back onto the charter to head back to Chicago. Casey and Sylvie hated to see them go, but they both knew all their coworkers were going to need to spend the next day recovering in preparation for the upcoming shift. As all of the Brett’s, and now the Casey’s, waved goodbye to them as they drove off, Sylvie turned to Matt.

“We better get our bags too, babe. We are staying at the Hampton Inn tonight down by the Interstate.”

Laughing, Matt softly kissed Sylvie’s forehead. “My wife…you really did think of everything today, didn’t you?”

Sylvie leaned up to Matt’s ear, whispering. “You didn’t REALLY think I was going to not have sex with my husband on our wedding night, did you?”

After grabbing their bags, Sylvie and Matt didn’t bother to change. They hugged everyone goodbye, promising Tessa tomorrow would be spent on the farm seeing all the animals. With that, they piled back into Sylvie’s car, with Matt driving toward the hotel.

A hotel, he thought, that he couldn’t wait to get to.

_______________

Brett stayed in the car while Matt checked in. When he had the key, he went back outside and grabbed his wife and their bags. As they walked through the hotel lobby, several other guests stopped to congratulate them. Once they were on the elevator, Matt pushed the button for the 3rd floor, and then turned and pushed his wife against the wall. Their kiss was deep with desire, and Matt knew the only thing he wanted to do was make love to his wife.

_My wife,_ he thought, over and over again.

When the elevator got to their floor, the couple walked to their room. Matt made Sylvie stay outside, while he opened the door and put their bags in the room. Then he came back out and in one smooth motion, lifted Sylvie in his arms to carry her into the room. Carol had luckily sent them both to the hotel with a plate and drink, knowing in advance they wouldn’t have time to eat either before or after the ceremony. Therefore, the first order of business was to eat.

During their makeshift dinner, Sylvie filled Matt in on everything that had happened over the last few weeks. “All this started the day after our “unofficial” wedding, babe. I knew the moment we said our vows, I didn’t want to wait any longer than I had to until we did it again in front of a minister.”

Matt shared how worried he had been about her, which she quickly apologized for. “Don’t apologize, Syl. This entire day…everything you planned…is the best birthday present I have ever had.”

Sylvie looked at the clock, seeing they still had time before midnight. She promised herself she was going to make love to her husband BEFORE this wedding night was over, and also before he turned 40.

When they finished eating, Sylvie stood up. “I need you to unzip me babe. But ONLY unzip me. I have a surprise for you in a little bit.”

After Matt did, she let him use the bathroom first. He took a quicky shower and brushed his teeth. While he was still in the bathroom, Sylvie laid some clothes on the counter for him. When he picked them up, he started to laugh. There was a pair of black silk boxers that had the word “groom” embroidered on them. There also was a black silk t-shirt that clung to his body that had the same thing on it. Once he put them on, he was about to open the door when Sylvie called out to him. “I am going to close my eyes so I won’t see you. Tell me when you are out in the room.”

Matt did as he was asked, leaving Sylvie to enter the bathroom with a bag of her own. Matt quickly pulled down the bed to get it ready before sitting on the foot of it. He swore he might have been more nervous about tonight than he had been the first time they had sex, if that was even possible. He sat there for 15 minutes, thinking nothing except the incredible woman he got to spend his life with in the next room.

Right when he thought his nerves might overtake him, he heard her call out.

“Okay babe. Close your eyes.

_____________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of you had some AMAZING guesses as to who caused the interruption, so I am sorry I had a little fun with you. I promise I did think of everyone you mentioned, but decided in the end that I didn't want to throw anything else at Matt and Sylvie. A couple who I realize I have thrown a WHOLE LOT at this story. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	91. The Wedding Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sylvie and Matt continue their wedding night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 91! This chapter is just a pure, unadulterated sex chapter. The wedding is the big finale of this story, but I might write a few chapters of an epilogue to show what happens in the future. Hope you all enjoy!

Casey could hear Sylvie walking in the room, but kept his eyes closed like she asked him to.

“Okay husband. Open your eyes.”

Slowly opening his eyes, Matt felt all the breath leave his body. She was breathtaking. He knew instantly if he had ever thought ANYONE was sexy before, what he saw now trumped that. She stood there, in black nylons that came up to her thighs, where they hooked to a black garter belt. Her black panties matched the black corset she had on, all of the material contrasting against her alabaster skin.

“Oh my God, Syl.” He muttered, seeing she even left her hair damp for him. “You are the sexiest thing I have ever seen in my life.”

A thin smile formed on Sylvie’s lips as she moved closer to him. “And you baby…you look pretty damn hot yourself.” She purred, seeing his silk boxers tenting as his erection grew. When she got close enough, he ran his hands up her knees to her waist, feeling the sheen of her hose mix with the lace as his fingers danced across them.

“I am going to make sure this is a birthday AND wedding night you never forget, Mr. Casey.”

She barely got his name out before his mouth was on hers, his kiss needy, bordering on desperate. She let him lead, content to know that he loved the outfit she had picked for their wedding night. As their kiss deepened, she felt his hands explore her body, while she ran hers over the tight silk encasing his chest.

When she broke their kiss, they were both panting for air. “I love you Matt.” Sylvie said breathlessly.

“I love you too gorgeous.” Matt replied, before pulling her in for another kiss.

They kissed like that for another few minutes, before Sylvie let her hand trail down Matt’s chest until it wrapped around his dick through his silk boxers. Hearing Matt moan lustfully, Sylvie smiled.

“You are my husband, and you are truly going to make love to me ALL night tonight.”

Matt couldn’t contain the moans that escaped his mouth as she massaged his erection. The feeling on her hand and the silk were becoming too much for him to bear. Thinking two could play that game, he ran his hand up the inside of her thigh until his fingers found their mark, massaging her moist center through her panties.

“Oh fffuuuucccckkkkk.” Sylvie groaned. “Take them off me baby.”

Letting his thumbs loop around the sides, Sylvie stood up straight to let him pull her panties down to her feet, where she promptly kicked them off. “If you can’t tell babe, the hose and the garter belt stay on.”

Hearing that sent Matt in to overdrive, forcing him to stand up, scoop Sylvie into his arms so he could carry her to bed. When he laid her on the bed, she was only there for a second before his tongue entered her.

“Oooohhh.” She exhaled, lost in the sensations. “God, I love you.”

Looking at her from his kneeling position on the floor, Matt stopped his ministrations for a second. “I love you too Syl. And I am going to spend the rest of my life showing you just how MUCH I love you.”

With those words uttered, he began to work on her again. He knew within a minute she was close, as he could see how fast her chest was rising and falling. When his two fingers entered her, it only took one swipe of his tongue on her clit to feel her entire body spasm beneath him.

“Aahhh.” She screamed, lost in the sensation of her orgasm. Matt moved up her body, holding her through her spasms, until she looked at him through half opened lids. “Make love to me now.”

Matt had his shirt and boxers off in a second, and in one thrust was completely inside Sylvie, causing her to scream out in pleasure, much louder than she intended to. He knew he wouldn’t be able to last long this first time…she was just too sexy as she writhed around underneath him. She pulled his mouth to hers with one hand, while with her other hand ran her fingernails down his back until she came to his butt, digging her nails into his ass, urging him to fuck her harder.

He hadn’t needed any extra encouragement, but her hand certainly helped. His thrusts quickened, and he felt his eyes close until he heard her mumble. 

“No baby. Look at me when you cum.”

Forcing his eyes open, he locked onto her gaze, holding it as they both got closer. After thirty more seconds, he saw her eyes gently close as she neared another orgasm, causing him to smile through his pleasure. He sped up even faster, somehow, wanting to meet her pending orgasm with his own.

It only took them a matter of moments until they came together, both crying out loudly, neither caring if the people in the adjoining rooms heard. As Matt slowly moved inside her, he kissed her deeply.

“Have I told you recently that I love making love to you?” Matt said between kisses.

Giggling, Sylvie looked at him, her eyes still lost in her pleasure. “No Matt, but that’s good to hear. Because I meant it when I said we are going to make love all night tonight.”

Seeing the heat in her eyes, Matt could feel himself begin to harden inside of her. Feeling that, she laughed.

“That’s my husband.” She said, rolling him over so she was on top. “I fucking love it when you can’t get enough of me.”

She unfastened her corset, letting in fall beside her. When she felt Matt sit up and take her nipple in his mouth, she threw her head back at the feeling.

“Fuck! I am never going to get enough of you.”

_________________

The next morning, Matt woke up the feeling of her stirring beside him. He glanced over to the night stand, seeing it was already past 10am. He rolled over on his side, seeing her nude torso on display to him, her right hand resting on his leg. She had been serious when she said she wanted to make love all night, he remembered. They had taken each other in every way imaginable. When Matt dozed off a few times, he had woken to the sensation of being in her mouth or of her riding him. The one time she fell asleep, he let her rest for fifteen minutes until he took her from behind, causing her to wake right in time for her orgasm to crash down over her.

He wasn’t sure he had ever been so exhausted as when she finally called time out on sex at 3 in the morning, but he had also never been so sexually fulfilled. His wife was amazing, and he knew he had to be the luckiest man in the world. Seeing her body, Matt began to fill a stirring in his loins. He was beginning to feel the urge to make love to her again, but he remembered her saying how sore she was when they had stopped. Still, he couldn’t resist the vision that slept beside him. She had to be the sexiest creature that God every created.

Moving between her legs, he let his tongue run the length of her sex. He used his tongue to rock back and forth on her clit a couple of times, hearing her start to mumble while finding her wetness increasing. Sensing she was ready, he lined up his manhood, slowing pushing himself into her. Her eyes flew open immediately at the feeling, her legs wrapping around his back.

“Cum quick baby.” She winced. “I am SO sore.”

All it took was her kissing him the way she did, with her fingernails leaving marks in his back for him to cum again. As soon as he did, he rolled off of her and onto his back, gasping for breath. When he recovered slightly, he glanced over at her.

“I’m sorry you didn’t cum Syl. But damn if you aren’t the sexiest thing I have ever seen. I have NEVER been able to have sex so much in one night. You are just amazing.”

“That’s okay baby.” Sylvie cooed, looking over at the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with. “I came so many times last night that I am surprised we didn’t set a record of some kind.”

She kissed him softly before snuggling up against him. She had a feeling wash over her that was different than anything she had ever felt in her life. She actually could sense her eyes were tearing up, as one escaped and ran down her check.

“Sylvie, are you okay? Did I hurt you?” Matt said, his voice heavy with concern.

Shaking her head, Sylvie just kissed him again before pulling his body to hers, holding him tightly. “I am fine baby. Actually, better than fine. I think you just got me pregnant again.”

_______________________


	92. Epilogue 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This first epilogue takes place several months after the end of the story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 92. This is the first of probably 2-3 epilogues for this story. Hope you enjoy!

_Epilogue One – Nine Months Later_

“Push Syl.” Matt implored to his wife. “You are almost there, honey.”

After pushing, Sylvie fell back against the bed. Sweat was running down her forehead and face. Summoning all the energy she had left, she listened to the doctor’s instruction.

“Okay Sylvie.” The doctor repeated. “Get ready to push one more time, okay?

Taking a few deep breaths, Sylvie looked up at Matt, seeing in his expression how proud and loved she was. Just then, she heard the doctor again.

 _Okay miracle baby,_ she thought. _Let’s get you out._

With one long, agonizing final push, Sylvie felt a rush of relief as she heard the doctor say the baby was out. She slumped over against Matt, who was kissing her forehead.

“I love you Syl. God you are just amazing. I am so proud of you.”

Smiling as best she could, Sylvie waited to hear the one sound she knew had to come next. When their baby cried, she finally could relax.

“Congratulations!” the doctor said loudly. “It’s a baby boy.”

________________

Thirty minutes later after the baby had been checked out, cleaned, and wrapped in a blanket, the nurse sat their baby on Sylvie’s chest. Looking at their baby’s blue eyes looking back at them, Sylvie began to cry.

“Well Mom.” Matt asked, gently wiping his wife’s tears away. “You were right. It really is everything that we thought it would be.”

Sylvie glanced up, right at the moment that Matt bent down to kiss her gently. “Go get Tessa, okay babe? I want her to meet her baby brother.”

Matt walked out of the hospital room towards the waiting area. When he got there, his smile widened, seeing their family. “It’s a boy!” Matt said happily. 

Tessa ran over and jumped up, letting Matt pick her up to hug her, trying his best not to mess up her “I’m a big sister” t-shirt. Frank, Carol, Stephen, Kimberly, and Taylor all walked over as well, joined by Severide, Kidd, Bodden and Donna.

“Let me take pumpkin to meet her little brother and then all of you can take turns coming to see Sylvie and the baby.”

With that said, Matt carried their daughter, who was official Tessa Casey as of two months ago, back to Sylvie’s room. When they entered the room, Matt let Tessa bend down to kiss Sylvie’s check.

“Hey pumpkin.” Sylvie said softly. “This is your little brother.”

Matt sat Tessa down beside Sylvie on the bed, letting her see her brother. They were both surprised when Tessa started crying.

“What is it pumpkin?” Matt asked while he rubbed her back.

Sniffling, Tessa looked at both of her parents. “Nothing. I am going to be the best big sister I can be. You just watch.”

_______________

Everyone had come back to see Sylvie and the baby except for her parents. Everyone had asked the baby’s name, but Sylvie and Matt demurred on the answer, knowing who they wanted to tell first. As Carol held the baby, Sylvie waited for the inevitable question.

“What are you going to call him?” Carol asked.

Looking over at her smiling husband, Sylvie answered her question. “Matt and I were talking about names if we had a boy. We decided on Brian Frank Casey. Brian after our friend who passed away, and Frank after you Dad.”

Knowing this would be the only time he would ever see Frank Brett cry, Matt watched as her father lost his composure, tears welling in his eyes. Carol looked over at her husband, seeing how touched he was by the gesture.

Frank tried to find the words, but none came. Instead, he got out of his chair and moved over to hug his daughter and son-in-law.

“What do you think Grandpa?” Tessa asked.

Frank picked the little girl up, hugging her. “Well pumpkin. It was great when Taylor joined the family, and now we have you and Brian. I just don’t think your Grandma and I can get any more blessed than we already are.”

________________

Three days later, on Saturday, Matt brought Sylvie and Brian home with them. All the family was at their house, along with Kelly and Stella. As they brought the baby in, Sylvie set down on the couch with her son.

 _Our son_ , she thought, looking up at the man who had made all this possible. The love of her life, Matt.

At that moment, Stella moved forward. “Here you go, we have a little gift for you.” She said, handing Matt a box. Setting the box down on the couch, Matt took Brian while Sylvie opened it. The blue box had a silver ribbon on it, so Brett pulled the ribbon carefully, hoping to save it. When she opened the box, her mouth fell open.

“Really?” she asked Stella, looking between her and Kelly.

“Yep.” Kelly said happily.

“What is it, babe?” Matt asked

Sylvie held up the two t-shirts in the box, the larger one obviously for Casey, with the smaller one for her. She turned them around so everyone could see what they said.

_Future God Parents_

Looking over at his best friend, Casey couldn’t believe it. “Wait. You two are pregnant?”

Kidd nodded happily, feeling Kelly’s arm reach around her. “Yep. Two months now.”

Everyone shared hugs and congratulations with the couple who Frank and Carol proudly claimed to “adopt” as extra family. They loved Kelly and Stella, mainly because of how they took care of Matt and Sylvie. But a couple of trips to Fowlerton by Severide and Kidd had sealed the deal officially.

“Well,” Stephen said, speaking up. “I guess we should tell you our news too.”

Kimberly pulled Taylor’s sweater off her, revealing the child’s t-shirt that showed she was going to be a big sister too. “Guess we are due about the same time Stella.”

Everyone who had just sat down were back up again, hugging and shaking hands in congratulations. At one point, Frank moved over to the window in front of the house, looking outside. Sylvie walked over to her father quietly, wrapping her arm around her Dad.

“You okay daddy?” she asked.

Frank Brett nodded quickly, his hand running over his face. “I am pumpkin. I sure am. What an incredible year this has been.”

As her father hugged her, Sylvie leaned against his shoulder. “Yes, it certainly has been daddy. Just think. This time last year I had just started dating Matt, and now look where we are.”

______________

A week later, after everyone had long gone home, Matt walked up towards the house after shift. Sylvie was still out on maternity leave, and since she was, Tessa was staying home with them. He unlocked the front door as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake Sylvie and Brian if they were sleeping. What he saw on the couch when he stepped in made his heart swell with love. There, the three most important people in the world to him, were asleep. Sylvie was laying flat on her back, with Brian on top her chest. Tessa was laying on the opposite side of the couch from Sylvie.

For a few moments, he stood there, just taking in the scene in front of him. When he saw Sylvie’s eyes flicker open, he moved over to her. As he knelt beside her on the floor, he ran his hand over her hair, pushing the hair out of her face. 

“How is our little miracle baby doing?” he asked.

Sylvie sighed. “He is doing great. He missed you, just like I did.”

Softly, Matt kissed Sylvie’s lips. “I love you Syl. For the next 48 hours I am all yours.”

She smiled back at her husband. “I will take what I can get baby.” Just then, a thought hit her. “Baby, when Brian gets to be a few months old, I think you need to take me on a proper honeymoon.”

Matt chuckled. “Well, I thought our last one was pretty proper. We did make Brian.”

Trying to stifle her laugh, Sylvie’s face glowed with love. “Yes, it did babe. But I am talking about just me and you. We have a LOT of nights of sex to make up for.”

Kissing her again, Matt let his hand rest on Brian’s back. “Well then, you just tell me when and where and I will be there. Who knows…maybe I can get you pregnant again?”


End file.
